


Carry On

by dumbsbian



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Children, F/F, Mild Sexual Content, Post-Divorce, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:54:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 35,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26486737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumbsbian/pseuds/dumbsbian
Summary: Parenting is hard, but it only gets harder when you lose your day job, your daughter starts acting out at school, and the assistant principal is totally your type. At least, those are the lessons that Sara's taking from her situation.-------Title from Carry On by Brody Dalle
Relationships: Nyssa al Ghul/Laurel Lance, Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Comments: 52
Kudos: 121





	1. Chapter 1

Ring... Ring... Ring... 

Sara jolted awake at the sound of her cell ringing. She scrambled to answer it and sighed when she saw it was Nyssa. Not answering it was what she wanted to do, but that wasn't the responsible thing to do. Besides, there was a possibility that Nyssa wasn't calling to just bitch at Sara for something. So, she cleared her throat to help sound like she hadn't just woken up and pressed the accept call button. 

"Sara, do you know what time it is?" Nyssa asked and Sara groaned. 

"I'm late?" 

"Yes you're late. Is Quinn even awake yet?" Nyssa asked and Sara got up to check. She saw their daughter sitting in front of the television, engrossed in a cartoon as she wore three separate outfit pieces. 

"Quinn's awake, she even dressed herself," Sara said, trying to make it sound like she wouldn't be another 20 or so minutes. "Let me get ready and then we'll be there." 

"Fine, I guess she can eat her breakfast in my car on the way to school. I just wish that you'd be more responsible sometimes Sara," Nyssa said before she hung up. Sara turned around, got dressed, and then took Quinn to meet Nyssa. 

"Are you excited to go back to Nyssa's for the week?" Sara asked and Quinn shook her head. "Why not?" 

"Because then I don't get to see you for the rest of the week. And I can't go with Mama on her weekend trips," Quinn said. 

"Mama's weekend trips are business trip baby. They've always been, even when we were together," Sara told her daughter. Sara asked Quinn about what was going to happen when the little girl was at Nyssa's for the week. Sara hated the deal that was cut, but Sara knew that it was better if she just kept Quinn for the weekends until she felt like her life was a little more solid. 

Sara had a shitty job, a shitty apartment, and refused help from those who offered it to her. It had put a pretty big wedge in between her and Laurel. When their father, Quentin got sick, they let bi-gones be bi-gones, but after he died and their mom went back to Central City, they went right back to not speaking unless it was absolutely necessary. Laurel didn't understand why Sara wouldn't just take Nyssa back because Nyssa was all Sara needed in Laurel's eyes. Sara loved Nyssa, but she couldn't just be with her because that was what everybody was pressuring her to do. Nyssa knew that and that was why she simply signed over whatever Sara wanted in the divorce. 

"Mama!" Quinn exclaimed when she saw Nyssa's car in the parking lot. Sara pulled in next to Nyssa's car and then got out to help put Quinn's suitcase and backpack in Nyssa's car. Nyssa attended to Quinn, who immediately began to rattle off about every fun thing that they did at Sara's over the weekend. 

"It sounds to me like you had a busy weekend. Come on, breakfast is in the car waiting for you. We can't be late for your first day," Nyssa said. Quinn gave Sara a kiss goodbye and then she got into Nyssa's car and buckled herself. "I'll see you on Friday Sara." 

"Yeah, Friday," Sara said, a little sadly. 

* * *

Nyssa pulled up to the school and stopped the car. She glanced behind her and watched as Quinn unbuckled herself and grabbed her backpack. Nyssa handed her the lunchbox that she had made that morning, knowing that Sara would either forget to pack Quinn's lunch or forget the box at her house. 

"Have a good day at school. I'll come and pick you up from Felicity and Laurel's when it's over," Nyssa told Quinn. 

"Bye Mama, I love you." Quinn looked up at Nyssa with eyes just like Sara's and it made the businesswoman's heart ache a little bit. 

"I love you too baby," Nyssa said and Quinn got out of the car. Once the crossing guard said it was okay, Nyssa pulled forward and drove away from the school. Nyssa drove a little faster than she should have towards her office building, but she was late thanks to Sara. Nyssa walked past the front desk to the elevator and then rode straight up to her office. The fact that Nyssa was below the vacant top floor was a bit insulting. However, that office space wasn't hers yet. The top was for the boss and Nyssa was not the boss yet. 

"There are reports waiting on your desk and Mr. Raatko wishes to speak with you at 11. He'll be on video call," Nyssa's assistant said and she nodded. She made a little note to remind herself of the video call and then began to go through the reports. She did all of the work in Star City that her grandfather did at his office, the main office, but she was still stuck on the second-to-top floor.

Nyssa sighed as she calculated how much money had been lost through trading with different accounts. The trading was all above Nyssa's head, that much she knew, but she didn't know why. A part of her wondered if it had to do with her father, but her mother had reassured her on multiple occasions that her father's side of the family had nothing to do with Raatko's business. That was the only reason that Nyssa had even taken this job after college, that and she wanted to have a baby with Sara after they'd gotten married. She wanted to do everything for Sara that she could, but in her quest to make that possible, she'd accidentally ruined what they had.

* * *

"Shut up Dillan!" Mia yelled at the boy standing in front of her. "I do too have a dad!" 

"No you don't. I saw you get off the bus and there was a lady waiting for you. You have two moms and that makes you a freak," Dillan told her. Mia's eyes began to water and she tried to run away, but he followed her around the playground. "I bet your dad left you because you're a freak and so you had to get another mom." 

"Shut up Dillan!" Mia screamed. It wasn't enough to get the attention of the teachers, but it was enough to draw Quinn's attention. Dillan had been the bane of their existence since preschool. Felicity had told Mia that maybe Dillan bothered them so much because he liked them, but Quinn's moms had told her that it wasn't okay that he did that. 

"Dillan, leave her alone," Quinn said, standing up to the boy. Mia was a smaller and more frail child like Felicity had been when she was younger. Quinn had taken after both of her parents, Nyssa in height and Sara in spirit. Quinn was generally a quiet child who kept to herself, like Mia, but whenever somebody came after the smaller blonde, Quinn was at them like a rabid dog. 

"Oh look, it's the super freak. Who do you call mom and who do you call dad?" Dillan asked and Mia got up and stepped in between Dillan and Quinn. 

"Don't say that to her!" Mia shouted as she pushed Dillan back. He stumbled back a little, but once he was steady on his feet, he punched Mia's cheek and pushed her down. Without thinking, Quinn jumped onto Dillan and just started to wail punches on him like how Nyssa had taught her to. 

"Hey, no!" a teacher yelled as she separated them. Mia and Dillan were taken to the nurse while Quinn was brought straight to the principal's office. She wasn't too worried about being there, but she was worried about Mia. Mia never got in trouble, and Quinn wasn't sure if she even knew how to get out of it. 

* * *

Sara could not believe that she was actually leaving work because her kid got in a fight. A part of her knew this was karma for all the times that her parents had to come and get her for the same reason. Nyssa was going to be absolutely pissed about this and probably use it as an excuse to berate Sara on her parenting abilities. Sara wondered if Nyssa would use this in court to try and get full custody of Quinn. Sara's brain was going straight to the worst possible outcome without really giving herself a chance to think. Luckily, she was saved by a text from Nyssa telling her that she was about to go into a really important meeting and couldn't make it to the school. 

"Thank god," Sara muttered under her breath as she continued to drive. She put her phone up and hurried over to the school. Sara found a decent parking spot, away from the car she thought she recognized as Laurel's, and then walked into the school. "Hi, I'm Sara Lance, Quinn Lance's mom." 

"Right this way," the secretary said and Sara followed her. She found Mia and Quinn sitting in a chair together, holding ice packs to each other's bruises. Mia's was on her cheek and Quinn's were all on her knuckles. Quinn looked up at her mother and was about to say something when a woman stepped out of an office. 

"Mrs. Lance, right this way," the woman said and Sara went into the office. "Hello, I am Ava Sharpe, the new assistant principal." 

"Hi, I'm Sara Lance. What happened exactly?" Sara asked as she took a seat. 

"I do not know because none of them are telling me the same story," Ava said and Sara sighed. She understood Mia and Quinn's stories not correlating, they were constantly trying to protect each other. They were like sisters and always had been. 

"Okay, well, can we bring them in please so I can ask them then?" Sara asked and Ava scoffed. "They'll tell me the truth. I know it." 

"Mrs. Lance, two seven year olds are not the most trustworthy of sources," Ava said and Sara shook her head. 

"It's Ms. and Quinn is six, not seven. Quinn has been raised as an honest girl with good values, so I believe that there is a reason she got into a fight with that boy. Mia couldn't lie to save her life, so obviously if you can't figure out what happened, the problem is with you," Sara said with a huff. 

"The boy, Dillan, says that he let them punch him. Your daughter says that she hit him because he hit Mia. Mia says that Quinn had nothing to do with any of it," Ava said with a heavy sigh. "And she didn't say that part convincingly." 

"Bring them in and let me talk to the girls. I'll get you the truth," Sara said and Ava finally caved. It was pretty obvious that Ava wasn't a fan of Sara. Mia and Quinn sat down in a seat together next to Sara and Ava cleared her throat to get everybody's attention. 

"Would you like to tell Ms. Lance what happened?" Ava asked and Sara leaned against her hand. 

"He was chasing me and calling me a freak," Mia started.

"He made her cry," Quinn said and Mia nodded. "He made her cry and so I told him to go away." 

"He hurt Quinn's feelings and said that she was super freak because of you and Auntie Nyssa," Mia said and Sara's jaw clenched in anger. "So I pushed him, but he hit me." 

"He hit her in the face," Quinn said, pointing to the red spot that was starting to bruise. "So I pushed him and hit just like Mama taught me." 

"You taught your daughter how to punch people?" Ava asked, shock and slight disgust in her voice. 

"No, my ex-wife taught her and Mia some self defense. They were told only to use it when they felt threatened," Sara reprimanded. 

"He was chasing her around, that's a threat," Quinn said. She was about to list off the rest of what Nyssa had taught her counted as a threat, but Sara stopped her. 

"Girls, go wait outside again please," Sara said and both girls walked out of the room. "That's what happened. They were telling the truth." 

"I know that you want to believe that because she's your daughter, but we can't know that's the truth for sure," Ava said and Sara clenched her fists. "I will look into it though." 

"Whatever, believe what you want. I know that those girls are telling the truth. Do I need to take my daughter home or not?" Sara asked and Ava cleared her throat. 

"She can stay and finish the school day. Hopefully she'll keep herself out of my office for awhile," Ava said. 

"She's a good student and an even better kid. Everybody has an off day, it's human," Sara said sharply. "Now I have a job to get back to." 

* * *

Ava set her keys down in the bowl on the table by her door. She was tired. Normally, first days weren't that hectic. A part of her knew that she'd be seeing a lot more of Sara Lance and her daughter in her office. Ava didn't doubt that the girl was a good kid, but she couldn't just take the word of two little girls without other evidence. The meeting with Mia's mom, Felicity, had gone over a lot smoother. 

"I think we deserve a drink," Ava said to herself as she walked into the kitchen. "And I'm talking to myself. Great." 

Ava poured herself a glass of wine as she microwaved some of the pizza she'd ordered the night before to celebrate getting her things moved in with the only person she could consider a friend, Gary. Tonight, Gary had gone off on a date with a guy he'd met online, John. Ava didn't mind being left alone for a night, it gave her time to watch trashy TV in her bedroom without the fear of being judged by anybody else. After a few episodes about "real housewives" she decided that it was time to put in for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Sara could feel everybody's eyes on her as she walked into work. It wasn't uncommon for her to have gotten into a squabble or two with a coworker. That was why nobody had outwardly said anything whenever she had left to go to the school. That was also why Sara had just assumed that when she came back to work after her scheduled couple days off, she'd still have a job. Oh, how she was wrong. 

"Ms. Lance, I need your nametag and uniform shirt immediately," Sara's boss said and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Your employment here has been terminated, effective immediately." 

"You're firing me, for what?" Sara asked and he cleared his throat and began to list every single infraction and thing that she'd done over her tenure at the store. Sara pulled the stupid blue shirt off of her body and threw it at him, nametag still attached. Sara walked out of the store and to her car, wondering what she was going to do about the sudden loss of income. She could always reach out to Nyssa, maybe even cash those checks that Nyssa had been sending every month. 

No, Sara couldn't cash those checks. Nyssa's band account was definitely an impressive one, but she'd notice if Sara cashed the checks. Nyssa was a professional in every aspect of her life and kept a close eye on her finances. Sara sighed and opened the glove compartment and fished out the most recent check that Nyssa had written her. It would have covered Sara's rent for the next three months as well as been more than enough to get Quinn the same kinds of snacks and food she had at Nyssa's. 

* * *

"Mama, will you walk up to the door with me today?" Quinn asked as she buckled herself into her booster seat. Nyssa smiled at her daughter and nodded. 

"I'd love to walk you to the door today," Nyssa told her. "Does your mom walk you to the door?" 

"Mom walks me to my classroom. You don't have to though, I know that you're busy," Quinn said. That was more than enough to hit Nyssa where it hurt. She remembered when Sara used to tell her that things were okay because Nyssa was busy. That was always the excuse when Nyssa missed something because she never did forget, even if Sara didn't know that. Nyssa had missed a lot, especially with Quinn early on. It wasn't until after the divorce that Nyssa realized she hadn't been there as much as she should have been. It had been Laurel talking to her after seeing Nyssa at Quentin's funeral that had been Nyssa's final push. 

"I can walk you to your classroom honey," Nyssa offered, but Quinn refused. Nyssa was going to press her for a reason, but decided that maybe it was because Quinn wanted to be a big girl. Nyssa remembered their conversation before she had dropped Quinn off at Sara's last Friday. The little girl had told Nyssa that she was almost seven and there were things that seven year olds didn't need their mommies for. 

When Nyssa got to the school, she parked the car and carried Quinn's backpack for her. They almost made it all the way to the crosswalk before Quinn spotted Mia and Laurel. She ran over towards Mia and the two of them crossed together while Laurel waited for Nyssa to reach her. 

"I can take that for you," Laurel offered and Nyssa handed her the backpack. "Have a nice day Nys." 

"Thank you Laurel, you too," Nyssa said. She turned around and went back to her car. Nyssa drove away and drove straight to work. Nyssa walked past everybody without giving them a chance to greet her. Once she was in her office, she locked the door, shut the blinds, and just sat at her desk. There was an envelope sitting on her desk with a note on it from her secretary that it had been in her PO box downstairs. 

Nyssa took the post-it note off of the top of the envelope and froze when she saw the envelope. She had seen these before back when she had lived with her father. They were kept in his office and sent to all of his "official business partners." She saw her name in handwriting that didn't belong to her father on the front of the envelope. Nyssa sighed and opened it to find a letter written with the same handwriting on the front. Nyssa skimmed through the letter, getting the important parts before her eyes settled on the name at the bottom. 

"Talia," Nyssa whispered. Nyssa crumpled the letter in a fist as her eyes began to water. Nyssa sniffled, wiped the tears from her eyes, and then threw the letter away. She sighed to herself as she pulled the letter from the trash, uncrumpled it, folded it neatly, and then put it in her desk drawer.

* * *

Children could pick up on things that nobody expected them to. Nyssa thought it was amazing how her daughter had a sense of justice. She had her morals and she was prepared to do what she thought was right. It had gotten her in trouble before, but she stuck with it. That part of her came from Sara because as Nyssa thought about her own childhood, she realized that she had been the weak one. She had been the one whose will had bent to Talia's whims with just threats. 

"Mama, where are we going?" Quinn asked as she looked around her. 

"We are going to dinner," Nyssa answered. The restaurant was not the nicest place in the city, but it was one of the higher end ones. Hence why Nyssa had arranged for them to use her grandfather's private room in the back. They entered in the back and took their seats before a menu was brought to them. "Did you have a good day today?" 

"Yeah, nobody bothered Mia and me today," Quinn said proudly. "I must have scared 'em off." 

"I want you to know that fighting is frowned upon Quinn. You did a noble thing protecting Mia, but you should have found a way to handle the situation that did not involve violence," Nyssa chided. Quinn nodded and went back to looking at the menu. "Do you have an idea of what you'd like to eat?" 

"No, I don't even know what this stuff is Mama," Quinn said with a huff. Nyssa took the menu from her and set both of them aside. 

"Well, what would you like to eat?" Nyssa asked, softening her tone from how it had been before. 

"Chicken and fries," Quinn answered. Nyssa nodded and brought a waiter over so they could order. The restaurant didn't serve what Quinn wanted, but Nyssa was a Raatko, so they'd make it happen. "Are you sad because you seem sad?" 

"Today was a very difficult day for me. I was reminded of a time in my life when I was less fortunate," Nyssa said and Quinn tilted her head in confusion. "I was not happy like I am now." 

"Why?" Quinn asked and Nyssa sighed. "Is it like when Pa Pa died?" 

"Not really. Sometimes families aren't very nice to each other and they hurt each other. I have a big sister and she was very mean to me," Nyssa said and Quinn frowned. "Meaner than Auntie Laurel and your mom can be towards each other." 

"Mom makes Auntie Laurel cry sometimes," Quinn said sadly. "But Auntie Laurel cries in the bathroom where she thinks we can't hear her. Did your sister make you cry in the bathroom?" 

"She definitely made me cry, but the way that my sister was mean to me isn't like how Laurel and Sara are mean to each other," Nyssa explained. Quinn nodded and the waiter brought their food to them. "Now, let's eat." 

"Can I meet my other auntie?" Quinn asked and Nyssa froze for a moment. "I wanna tell her to be nice to you." 

"That's very sweet, but I don't really talk to each other anymore. We chose different paths in life and those paths don't include each other," Nyssa answered. 

"Well, you have to make up. Just like Auntie Laurel and mom will," Quinn told Nyssa.

* * *

Early morning shifts were the worst. Felicity hated them, especially since it meant she didn't get to start her day getting ready with Mia. Laurel was a godsend though because Felicity wouldn't have been able to do it herself. Mia was a sweet girl, but she was a handful in the morning. Felicity knew that she'd grow out of it, unless she really did take after her father. In which case, Felicity needed to figure out how to convince Laurel to never move out. 

"Hey, you busy?" Zari, one of the newer girls in the IT department, asked Felicity. 

"Not really," Felicity answered honestly. She had a couple things she could have been doing, but there was no point in doing them straight away. "What's up?" 

"I had my date last night," Zari said excitedly. "She was amazing, and way too cool to be going out with an IT girl." 

"Don't diss IT girls," Felicity said with mock offense. "Tell me about her." 

"Well, her name is Charlie, she's in a band, she's got a hot accent, and she seems to really be interested in me." Zari sounded excited about her date. "You should sign up for it. You'll totally meet somebody." 

"I don't know. I'm not sure if I can handle dating on top of working and raising a child," Felicity said and Zari put her hand on Felicity's knee. "It can be a lot." 

"Felicity, it is time for you to get back out there. It'll be hard and you'll want to give up, but there is somebody waiting out there to be yours. They'll love you and they'll love your daughter, just give it a chance and some time," Zari said and Felicity sighed. 

"Alright," Felicity said and Zari told her the app to download on her phone. 

* * *

Laurel stared at the case file on her desk. This was a big decision. She knew about the infamous Ra's al Ghul, but she hadn't heard many of the specifics about him. She knew he was a corrupt businessman who had attempted to form an oligarchy in quite a few Eastern European countries. It was the companies that he had been affiliated with prior to his arrest and afterwards that she hadn't known about. It was the two daughters who were supposed to be splitting his fortune that she hadn't known about. It was the secret league of elite assassins that she couldn't have even theorized. 

_"This could make your career Lance, think about it."_

Laurel knew that this case could put her in the running for the soon-to-be-vacant DA position. It was a bit decision to make and she wanted that boost because the man she was running against played dirty, very dirty. Laurel needed all the help she could get, but at what cost was this boost to her career. The only reason that the case was being brought to Star City was that all of the money that the Raatko family had accepted was put into starting a new branch in Star City. The branch that Nyssa was technically in charge of. The same Nyssa who had an account full of money that Ra's had put there because she was his daughter and he wanted to look out for her and protect her while he was in jail. That, and he seemed to have quite a few different associates in Star City. 

Laurel knew what the smart decision about this was, but at the same time, she didn't know what this would put her through personally.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The parts in italics are flashbacks.

Working at Thea's club was always one of the more fun aspects of Sara's week life. It reminded Sara of college in a lot of ways. She wasn't the youngest person in the bar, but she still wasn't always the oldest. There were a lot of different people in the bar and Sara appreciated that diversity. Also, the bar patrons were a lot nicer to Sara than the customers at the grocery store tended to be. Sara liked the bar and if it was a more secure source of income, she'd love to just do that for the rest of her life, but it didn't pay off the bills, even if Thea did give Sara a bit of extra cash whenever she could. 

"Hey, you did great tonight," Thea said as she checked the register. Sara could have gone home, but she didn't want to spend more time in her empty apartment than she had to. It was part of the reason why she had come into the club as early as she did and worked a double. "Is everything okay at home?" 

"I, uh, got fired. I was wondering if I could maybe go to full-time. I don't really care about benefits or anything like that, Nyssa's got Quinn covered, but I do care about keeping a roof over my head," Sara said and Thea nodded. 

"I'll switch your shifts to full and start putting you on Fridays and maybe one Saturday every month. I know that weekends are your time with Quinn, but if you're worried about money, Friday and Saturday are your nights to be in," Thea said and Sara thanked her. "Go home now Sara." 

"Okay, I will," Sara said and Thea watched her leave. She made sure that Sara's car left the parking lot and then left herself. Sara's drive to her apartment wasn't a very long one, but when she arrived at her apartment to see Nyssa waiting for her, she knew that she'd have a long night ahead of her. "Nyssa, aren't you normally in bed by like, 9:30?" 

"Actually no, I get Quinn to bed by 9 and then I go to my office and make sure everything is in order. Normally I get to bed around 12 or so," Nyssa answered and Sara couldn't believe it. Actually, she could, Nyssa had always been the type of overwork herself without even noticing it. "I was wondering if you could take Quinn tonight and drop her off at school in the morning. I have to be into the office a few hours earlier for a meeting." 

"No problem, you can stay too if you'd like so you don't have to drive all the way back to your place," Sara offered and Nyssa accepted the offer. "I'll get Quinn's stuff if you get Quinn."

* * *

Felicity should have been sleeping. She really should have, but that stupid app was keeping her up. Well, more like the guy she matched with on the app. He was cute, very cute, into computers, and wouldn't leave her alone. She appreciated the enthusiasm, but it was a little too much, especially when she had to get some rest. Felicity had already told him several times that she needed to go to sleep, but he kept messaging her. Finally, she sighed and set up a date with him in a couple of weeks. By the time he'd stopped messaging her, Felicity decided it was too late to actually get a decent amount of sleep, so she kept scrolling through the app. 

"What the hell?" Felicity asked herself as she saw a familiar face. It was a face that Felicity hadn't seen since Oliver's funeral with a name that every couple of months would show up in her voicemail inbox. Thea Queen was on her dating app and it had put them as a match, all Felicity had to do was accept it, but she couldn't bring herself to do that. She also couldn't bring herself to reject Thea because what if they were meant to be. Even if they weren't, it gave Mia a chance to have some of her father's family in her life. Thea could tell Mia about Oliver in ways that Felicity knew that she never could, so with a deep breath, Felicity accepted the match with Thea. 

* * *

"Alright, see, we're not late," Sara said as she walked Quinn across the crosswalk. 

"But we are late because Mia is already here," Quinn argued. Sara sighed and bent down in front of her daughter so they were eye level. "I always walk in with Mia and because I didn't today, I'm going to have a bad day." 

"You won't have a bad day Quinn, you'll have an amazing day. Don't let yourself get down about it, okay baby?" Sara told her. Quinn nodded and held onto Sara's hand as they walked into the building. Sara got a couple steps in before she saw Ava Sharpe. 

"Ah, Ms. Lance, good morning," Ava said politely. There was still some awkwardness between them, but if Sara could deal with her ex-wife sleeping in her bed with only their child separating them, she could make small talk with Ava Sharpe. 

"Good morning," Sara said and Quinn walked ahead without her. "Hey, so can you do me a favor? Quinn's pretty upset because she didn't get to walk in with Mia. She's sorta superstitious and thinks that it'll make her have a bad day. Can you look out for her please? I swear she's a good kid, but sometimes when she gets an idea in her head, she doesn't let it go." 

"Of course, I'll try to help in any way I can," Ava promised.

* * *

_"I don't want your money Nyssa," Sara scoffed, disgusted that Nyssa thought she could be paid to stay with the taller woman. "No, I gave you a chance to be my wife, but you were never there. I can't do this alone, you were great when she was little, but you stopped caring somewhere along the line."_

_"I didn't stop caring Sara. I was working to provide for my family. If you could be patient for once in your life and just wait for me to get promoted, I'll adjust my hours and I'll get days where I can do it from home," Nyssa told her. Sara turned her back on Nyssa and walked out of the house. Nyssa knew where Sara was going, but Nyssa didn't dare follow her. Instead, Nyssa just sat and stared at the orange envelope on the coffee table. "What happened to us Sara?"_

_Nyssa pulled the papers out of the envelope and signed her name under Sara's. She slid them back inside and made a mental note to drop it off at the post office later. A part of Nyssa wanted to crawl upstairs, drown her sorrows with a bottle of expensive alcohol that her grandfather had sent her as a gift, and not come out of her room for the next week, but she had work to do. Nyssa still had priorities and providing for Quinn and Sara were at the top of her list. So, Nyssa picked the pieces of heart off of the floor, put them away, and then went back to the office._

* * *

Quinn stared at the floor as she sat in the office. She had managed to make it a few weeks without another incident. Sara would be happy because Sara remembered how difficult school had been for Quinn at first. Nyssa would be pissed and with Quinn's luck, Nyssa would be the one to answer the call. Quinn hated getting in trouble at Nyssa's because the punishments were always worse. Nyssa had the power to tell Quinn she couldn't go to Sara or Laurel's for the weekend, not that Nyssa would ever punish Sara for Quinn's misdoings. 

"Ms. Lance, can you come here please," Assistant Principal Sharpe asked Quinn. She stood up from her chair and walked into the woman's office. Ava closed the door behind Quinn and pulled a chair out a little for her. "What happened?" 

"I told Mom I would get in trouble and I did. We were late because she's always late and I missed Auntie Laurel and Mia. Then, I get to class and Mia isn't even there. She's always here at school, even when I'm not." Quinn's lip quivered before she began crying. "I just wanted my friend. I'm sorry I got mad." 

"It's okay, everybody gets mad sometimes. Your mom is on her way to come get you," Ava said and Quinn gave a small nod. "Is everything okay at home?" 

"Mama was gonna let me stay the night at Auntie' Laurel's, but then she said we couldn't. We went to my mom's instead, but when I woke up, Mama was gone," Quinn said as she sniffled. Quinn was going to go on, but then Sara came into the room. Quinn turned and ran towards her mom, clinging to her tightly. "Is Mama coming back?" 

"Of course she is, she just had to go to work early. She'll pick you up from the apartment after dinner, I promise. Now, if it's okay, I need you to wait in the other room okay?" 

"Yeah, I can do that," Quinn said. Once the door was shut, Sara turned towards the assistant principal. 

"Thank you for stopping whatever was about to happen. I know that she gets upset sometimes and lashes out. I used to do it a lot too, my dad had to come down on more than one occasion after I'd gotten in some sort of fight," Sara said and Ava nodded. 

"She did try to run at the boy from before, but a teacher caught her first. If she needs, she can talk to the counselor," Ava suggested. 

"I don't know, I think she's better off talking to you," Sara said and Ava wasn't sure why, but that made her feel happy. "Thank you. Hopefully I don't have to come back here too soon." 

"Hopefully," Ava echoed.


	4. Chapter 4

America. Specifically, Star City. It had been a long time since Talia had been in the country last. Then, she was preparing to take over the business from her father. They had touched down in Gotham before flying to Star City. Ra's had been arrested in Star City and Talia watched as her future as the head of the family business was stolen from her. According to the press, Ra's had died before his trial finished, but Talia knew that wasn't true. He was rotting in prison, most likely in a dark room while he lost his mind. His money and everything in America was in Nyssa's name. Talia had inherited pretty much everything else. 

"Excuse me, could you tell me where the Raatko Industries building is please?" Talia asked one of the airport workers. The man handed her a map and turned her towards the doors. Talia rolled her eyes and walked out of the airport. A car was waiting for her to take her to her hotel. Even though Ra's had been denounced as a legitimate businessman, the al Ghul name had a certain air of respect to it. 

"Right this way ma'am." Talia followed the young man up to her suite. Talia would be staying indefinitely. It depended on how long it took Nyssa to respond to her and how long it took for this stupid trial to be over. Talia wasn't too impressed so far, especially since not all of the lawyers had been picked out yet. Instead of sitting and stressing herself out about possibly going down for her father's business, Talia decided to reach out to Nyssa, maybe warn her. It didn't surprise Talia when the call went to voicemail, at least she hadn't been blocked yet. 

"Nyssa, we really need to talk. I am in Star City and next week will have a meeting with you. It is unavoidable and I promise that it is not a strictly personal meeting. Call me back, please." Talia hung up after she recorded her message and then looked out at the view of the city.

* * *

"Quinn, Laurel is going to come and pick you up for school. Are you ready?" Sara asked her daughter. Quinn looked up from her bowl of cereal and nodded. 

"Why is Laurel taking me to school Mommy?" Quinn asked. 

"Because I have to go somewhere and it's a pretty long drive," Sara said and Quinn sighed. "And I haven't even started getting ready. Shit, oop, I mean crap." 

"It's okay, sometimes Mama curses in her office when she thinks I can't hear her," Quinn said and Sara chuckled. 

"Glad to know that some habits die hard," Sara said. "Alright, I have to go take my shower. I'll see you on Saturday morning for breakfast okay?"

"Yep," Quinn said. 

"Okay, have a good day. I love you." Sara kissed the top of Quinn's head. Quinn finished her cereal and then went to the couch to wait for Laurel and Mia. It didn't take long for them to get there. 

"Hey kiddo," Laurel said as she stepped into Sara's apartment. "Ready to go?" 

"I think so." Quinn got up from the couch and walked out with Laurel. Laurel dropped them off and then raced off to work. She had to give an answer on whether or not she'd take the case. A part of her wanted to take it, but she wasn't going to. Another big case would come by, one that didn't include Laurel sending one of her niece's moms to prison. Besides, there were names in that file that Laurel recognized other than Nyssa's and she wanted to leave her memory of them and their families how they were. 

"Lance, you got me an answer yet?" Laurel's boss asked her. Laurel stopped in front of her office and turned on her heel to face him. "Because I need one, preferably now." 

"No, I won't take the case sir. It's a little too person for me to do that with a clear head," Laurel said with a sigh. It wasn't going to be good for her career, she made the right decision. 

"It's a shame, but maybe you can be a consult if we need it later." 

"Maybe."

* * *

Sara loved driving. Since she had Quinn, she hadn't been able to just get in the car and drive for hours at a time. There was the family road trip that her father planned for them the year before he died. Quinn had been too young to really remember a lot from it, but Sara couldn't wait until Quinn saw the pictures and asked about it. Maybe she could do a trip like that for them later. She didn't have a giant RV like her dad, but her car would work just fine for the two of them. 

"There it is," Sara sighed as she saw the house. She pulled up to it and parked her car in the driveway. Sara could have just called to tell John that she didn't want to do any jobs for him anymore, but she supposed that telling him in person would have been better. Maybe she could have a drink with him before she had to drive all the way back to Star City for her shift that night. Sara knocked on the door and waited patiently. 

"Who are you?" The person who answered the door was definitely not John Constantine. Sara was certain of that. However, Sara was not disappointed to see this woman instead of her old friend. 

"Sara Lance, I came here looking for John," Sara said and the woman sighed. She stepped aside and let Sara in. "I don't think we've met before, have we?" 

"We haven't, but John's mentioned you Sara. I'm Astra," the woman introduced herself. "He's in there." 

"Of course he is," Sara said as she followed the incense smoke. She knocked on the doorframe before she entered. The door looked like it'd been torn off of its frame and John was sitting at a table, hunched over a book as he muttered to himself. "Hi John." 

"Sara, why didn't Astra come tell me you're here!" John stood up and stumbled over to Sara. It was pretty obvious that he was not completely sober, but Sara wasn't sure how often she had really seen him sober. "You're gonna take the job right?" 

"I can't John. I can't run around and do that stuff for you. I have a daughter to think about, I'm sorry. I did want to check up on you though," Sara said. John rolled his eyes and pulled a cigarette from his jacket pocket. "How have you been doing?" 

"Been better Sara," John said with a sigh. "Astra's keeping me company though. You'd like her, a real ball buster that one." 

"Maybe I should give her a push because you smell like a dive bar bathroom," Sara joked. John fake laughed and lit his cigarette. 

"How's the little one doing?" John asked with a small smile. 

"Quinn's doing good. She's had a bit of trouble with fighting, but she's my kid. Luckily, they've been calling me and not Nyssa," Sara told him. 

"Alright, now get outta here. You shouldn't be in a place like this, not when you've got a little one at home." John pushed Sara out. 

"Call me when you sober up John," Sara told him. "I mean it."

* * *

Felicity was nervous to say the least. This restaurant was really nice and she hadn't been to a place this nice since she'd first started dating Oliver. An online date shouldn't pick a place like this for the first meeting. Felicity had expected a bar or a club, but not one of the nicest places in Star City. Of course Felicity knew the wooing with this guy would be a bit more because all he'd wanted to talk about after they'd set their date was how successful his apps had been once they were released. He thought he was a big-shot tech genius and had admitted that he'd only matched with Felicity because she was attractive and had graduated from MIT. 

As Felicity approached the table where he was sitting, she realized how bad of an idea this was. Felicity didn't feel ready, but she had to be brave. There was no point in telling her daughter to be brave if Felicity herself wasn't going to do it. Besides, Mia deserved to have a father figure in her life and maybe this guy would secretly not be a douche. Once his cologne hit her nose a good 20 feet away from the table, she realized that maybe she should keep looking for that dream guy.

* * *

"You're sure it isn't too much?" Nyssa asked as she carried Quinn's backpack inside. 

"Of course not. You deserve a week night off more than anybody," Laurel told her. "Now, go take a bath and drink a bottle of wine." 

"I'm not really a wine kind of woman," Nyssa said as she looked past Laurel at Mia and Quinn playing. 

"Stop, they're fine. Go home," Laurel told Nyssa. Nyssa nodded and Laurel watched the woman drive away before she went back inside. "Alright ladies, you have two hours until bedtime unless Felicity gets home early." 

"Bedtime is at 8:45. It's 7:30," Quinn said as she looked at the clock. 

"Laurel says bedtime is 9:30," Mia whispered and Quinn nodded. 

"Oh. Can we watch a movie then?" Quinn asked. Laurel let them pick a movie out on Netflix and pulled the couch out into a bed. Normally they'd sleep in Mia's room, but Laurel knew that the girls would end up falling asleep during their movie. Mia had never actually made it to 9:30 before and this night would be no exception. 

"You need to lay down too Laurel," Mia said and Laurel sighed. She laid down on the edge of the bed and watched the movie with the girls. It didn't surprise her that they'd picked The Bee Movie, it was Quinn's favorite and the two of them could quote it. Mia was asleep within the first 40 minutes, but Quinn made it to the end of the movie. 

"Can we watch another one?" Quinn asked and Laurel checked her watch. "Please?" 

"Yeah, but I'm picking it out," Laurel said and Quinn nodded. She yawned and settled back into the bed. Laurel made sure to take her time picking the movie out so that Quinn fell asleep before she had one. Laurel turned the subtitles on and volume down low as she resumed the TV show that she'd been binging before as she waited for Felicity to get home.


	5. Chapter 5

Stubbornness could be an admirable trait, but it was also a pain in the ass sometimes. Nyssa hoped that Quinn wouldn't end up with it, but that girl was destined to. It seemed that everybody with the last name Lance that Nyssa had ever met made an art of being stubborn, and Nyssa was pretty stubborn herself. Maybe if Nyssa had been a little less stubborn than when she walked into her office on Friday morning after a long week and a seemingly longer weekend, she wouldn't have been so shocked to see her older sister Talia sitting in her office. Talia, the sister who had tormented Nyssa until her mother had wised up and taken the younger girl away from the al Ghul house. Talia, the sister who was supposed to be in Europe enjoying their father's lavish mansion. 

"Who let you in here?" Nyssa asked as she shut her office door. "Why are you are?" 

"Well, hello to you too sister dearest," Talia said with a smirk. "I'm doing fine, thank you. Oh, the flight wasn't too bad. I've been spending the week exploring the city. How's playing an old man's assistant going for you?" 

"That didn't answer a single one of my questions," Nyssa told her sister. 

"Officially, business, but also a little bit of pleasure too. Also, technically you let me in when you accepted to meet with me," Talia said and Nyssa searched through her accepted meetings on her calendar. She had booked a meeting with a potential investor, not thinking it would be Talia. "Business first, that's your thing right?" 

"It is, the sooner we discuss whatever business we have, the sooner I can kick you out," Nyssa said as she sat down in her desk chair. 

"Did you spend your inheritance?" Talia asked and Nyssa shook her head. "That's good, but get a lawyer anyways. Something tells me that there's a storm coming." 

"A legal storm?" Nyssa asked and Talia nodded. "Why?" 

"Because our father was a shady man who dealt with shady people. Dear old Papa Raatko was one of them Nyssa. I was not a good sister growing up, but please, listen to me. We need to be there for each other now," Talia said and Nyssa wanted to tell her no and kick her out. However, she couldn't, something told her to trust Talia. Sure, it came from the same place that told her to go after Sara, but Nyssa figured that this couldn't have been much worse for her. 

"Fine, but after it is through, I want nothing to do with you." Nyssa's tone was sharp and Talia nodded. 

"Deal. Now, I look forward to meeting you for brunch at my hotel next Sunday. I've got business of my own to attend to." And with that, Talia left.

* * *

Felicity wasn't 100% certain why she'd agreed to take Quinn and Mia for the night. Okay, she knew why. She needed an excuse to not see that guy. He was awful and wanted to move so quickly. Maybe Felicity had just been out of the game for a long time, but she was pretty sure that dates weren't supposed to go how hers had been. Besides, Felicity had already matched with a couple of other people. The others seemed nice, but travelled or worked a lot. Felicity wouldn't have minded that, she was a bit of a workaholic herself, but that made it hard to start a relationship. The other person she'd matched with, she couldn't imagine having a relationship with. Even if there had been times when it felt like Thea was the Queen sibling she should have been with. 

"Mommy, we're going to play up in my room," Mia said and Felicity nodded. 

"Okay, be careful and don't climb around on the furniture," Felicity said and the girls ran upstairs. Felicity sighed when she heard the door shut, there was no way those girls weren't climbing and jumping on Mia's bed. Felicity hadn't been one of the athletic kids, but Mia was. It was something she had gotten from her father. Felicity sighed and laid back on the couch to clear her head. 

"Are you sure she won't hear us talking?" Quinn asked as she curled up inside of a blanket. 

"Yeah, I'm sure," Mia said and Quinn nodded. 

"Do you miss your dad?" Quinn asked and Mia tilted her head to the side as she thought about it. She hadn't known her father, but Felicity had told her a lot of stories about Oliver. Also, sometimes she saw him on the news. 

"I didn't know him, but I guess. Who's your dad?" Mia asked Quinn. 

"I think that my Mama is technically my dad. She told me about it one time," Quinn answered. "I don't think I have a dad." 

"Maybe we could have a club," Mia suggested. "No dad club?" 

"No dad club," Quinn repeated. They both looked at each other and nodded. "But we can't tell our moms." 

"Of course not. Never." 

* * *

"Get away from me," Ava slurred towards the very large and sweaty guy trying to hit on her. "I'm not interested." 

"How do you know? You haven't even talked to me." 

"Because you have a penis and I don't do dick," Ava told him. He huffed and went to say something else when Thea stepped in. 

"She isn't interested and you need deodorant," Thea told him. 

"What is she joins us? Then will you come with me?" he asked, ignoring Thea. 

"Sara!" Thea yelled and within seconds, Sara had hopped over the bar and placed herself in between Thea and the man. "This is Sara, my bouncer and bartender. Now, if I were you, I'd leave before she kicks your ass." 

"Whatever," he said as Sara stared him down. Thea left and Sara turned around to see Ava leaning against the bar. 

"Ms. Lance, is th-that you?" Ava asked and Sara sighed. "You look different. Hot." 

"Thank you. Do you need me to call you a ride?" Sara asked and Ava shook her head. 

"No, I think Gary brought someone home. I wouldn't mind you being my ride tonight though," Ava flirted. She attempted some sort of wink and nearly lost her balance, falling into Sara's arms. "You're strong. Do you work out?" 

"Sometimes I do, yeah. Gimme your keys and I'll take you to my place where you can sleep," Sara told her. 

"Hopefully I'll get to sleep with you," Ava muttered, not nearly as quietly as she intended. 

"Oh boy."

* * *

Thea smiled as she sat on top of her car. Saturday mornings were normally spent in bed, sleeping away the stress of Friday night and preparing for the stress of Saturday. The club was always busiest on those nights and Thea lost Sara on Saturday nights. Thea wanted to tell Sara not to work Fridays either, but the blonde wouldn't have that. She knew that Thea needed her working the bar and if she worked Friday instead of Saturday and got the next Monday from Nyssa, it was 3 uninterrupted days with Quinn. Thea liked it when Sara would come in on Tuesday and tell her the things that she did with Quinn during their time together. And it just made her heart swell whenever Sara told Thea about Mia. And that was why Thea found herself sitting outside of Felicity Smoak's house, just waiting to find the courage to knock on the door. 

"Thea, what are you doing here?" Laurel asked as she stepped outside. 

"I want to talk to Felicity," Thea said as she sat up. "Is she awake?" 

"Yeah, I'll go get her," Laurel said. She stepped inside and got Felicity. Thea's breath hitched when she saw the woman. Despite having Roy then, Thea definitely was crushing on Felicity. In fact, Roy had joked about it multiple times. If only he knew. Actually, he probably did to an extent. 

"So, we matched," Thea said as she hopped off of the car. "I didn't know you swung that way." 

"There's a lot people don't know about me. How did you find out where I live?" Felicity asked. 

"I might have dropped Laurel off here a couple times after Oliver died," Thea said and Felicity nodded. "How have you been doing?" 

"As good as I can. How about you?" Felicity asked Thea. 

"It's getting easier. I'd really love to meet Mia though," Thea said and Felicity nodded. "It doesn't have to be today, but sometime. Preferably when I don't smell like alcohol and 15 different people's body sprays." 

"I think she'd like that. You'd be able to tell her things about Oliver I couldn't," Felicity agreed. "Just tell me when you have the time to." 

"Anytime, but maybe we could also do something. Just the two of us, like a date?" Thea suggested. The confidence that Thea gave off reminded Felicity of Oliver, but there was something different about it though. 

"I'll see when I'm free and get back to you on that one," Felicity told her. Thea wrote down a couple of phone numbers and handed them over to Felicity. 

"Call me, order is cell, club, home," Thea told her. "I'm serious about that date Felicity."

* * *

Saturday night was Laurel's night away from everything. She didn't have to think about work, she didn't have to babysit, she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to. That being said, she had rushed over to Nyssa's with a bottle of wine she wouldn't be indulging in and some chocolate. Hanging out with her ex-sister-in-law was not the typical Saturday night plan, but Laurel didn't care. She had always liked Nyssa and she knew that they'd have a lot of fun together. 

"It always amazes me to see this place," Laurel said as she stepped inside. Nyssa shut the door behind her and Laurel could already smell alcohol on her breath. "When did you start drinking?" 

"Honestly? Friday after my sister left my office," Nyssa said with a dry laugh. "But that is greatly appreciated." 

"You're drink, no more booze until you eat something," Laurel told her. Nyssa flopped onto the couch from the back and held up a box of gummy snacks. "Real food Nyssa. Do you want me to make you some coffee?" 

"I'll tell you what I want. What I really really want," Nyssa said. 

"So tell me what you want," Laurel said with a sigh. "What you really really want." 

"I want you to fuck me," Nyssa said and Laurel started blushing. "But you're my ex wife's sister, so that's inappropriate right?" 

"On some level, it has to be," Laurel said and Nyssa sighed. 

"And I'm a professional, so hand me the wine please," Nyssa said. "Is it inappropriate to cuddle me?" 

"It's not," Laurel said and Nyssa rolled onto her stomach. She opened her arms and Laurel sighed as she laid down with Nyssa on the couch. 

"I wonder what my life would be like if I'd met you first," Nyssa said. "Would we have gotten together?" 

"Nyssa, I'm not gay," Laurel said and Nyssa shrugged. 

"Sara said that once. You don't have to be gay, you just have to be in love," Nyssa said with a small smile. 


	6. Chapter 6

To Laurel Lance, running was an essential part of staying sober. She had drinking and the pills had been a means of punishment and escape. Laurel didn't want to hurt herself like that anymore. She had always told herself that she never wanted to do that to herself anyways. However, after Oliver left her, Tommy died, and then Oliver died, things got difficult. Sara seemed to go from a partying troublemaker to someone with a wife and child while Laurel struggled to pull herself up the ranks in the riveting world of Star City law. Her parents started fighting and it seemed like they were really gonna get a divorce instead of one of them just running off. Then, Quentin got sick and Laurel watched her mother force herself to stay with him because that was right. Neither of her parents wanted that and staying so close put Laurel right in the center of it all. Three days after her father died, Laurel's mother found her within inches of her life in the driveway, keys in hand. That was when the sobriety started. 

"Better late than never," Laurel said to herself as she came upon the cemetery. Seven miles, that was what Laurel had run already. Laurel knew that because every single day during the first two years of her getting herself sober, Laurel ran to the cemetery to tell her dad about her progress. Work had really picked up soon after that, but she had her three year anniversary coming up and she knew he'd be proud of her. Besides, she was sure that he was lonely. Laurel may not have spoken to Sara that often, but she knew that her little sister didn't come around often because of how hard it was. 

Laurel slowed her pace down to a jog as she made her way towards the grave. Laurel sighed as she thought about how her life had changed so quickly in the span of a week. She'd lost her dad, begun the harrowing journey of stopping her addiction, helped her mom move away, and stopped talking to her little sister. That was the honest to God worst week of Laurel's life, one that she rarely let herself think about. A part of her wanted to talk to Sara, but she knew that Sara had to come to her. Laurel came up to the grave and sat down in front of the headstone. 

"Hi dad," Laurel started, like she always used to. "It's been awhile, but I promise I didn't stop visiting because I relapsed. Actually, I've been busy at work and helping with Mia and Quinn. You'd love them, both of them. Quinn reminds everybody of how Sara used to be and I think that it's rubbing off a little on Mia if I'm honest. She's quieter, like Felicity, and so smart. She's gonna do great things. Normally I'd be telling Oliver about Mia, but you were there too and you loved her like she was your blood. Maybe one day I'll bring the girls with me and they can talk to you too. I, uh, went over to Nyssa's last weekend. She's doing okay, her and Sara are still on talking terms. I think that I'm gonna try to call her or visit her. I'm sure that she can't be too hard to find, sometimes Star City is a small place. Well, I have to get back before Felicity leaves for work. I promise I'll be back here again, I love you." 

* * *

Sara yawned as she pulled into the driveway of her mother's house. Since moving away from Star City, Dinah had gotten a job as a professor at Central City University and was in the running of head of her department. Sara looked at the large house where she, Quinn, and Laurel all had their own rooms. Sara knew that Quinn's room was probably shared by Mia if Laurel brought her up for a visit. Sara remembered how much her mother had liked Felicity, even after she found out that she was Oliver Queen's, the boy who had broken both Sara and Laurel's hearts at least once, fiancé.

"Easy does it," Sara said to herself as she lifted Quinn out of her car seat. Sara carried the small child up to the house and then knocked on the door. There was a light on and the sun was up, so Sara was certain that her mother would be awake. Dinah had always been the early riser in their family. It didn't matter what day of the week it was, she was up with the sun or before it. Sara remembered whenever their dad would go for a couple of weeks because of a fight and Dinah woke her up at dawn every single day. "Hi mom." 

"Sara, you're here earlier than I thought you'd be. I figured you'd be leaving at this time," Dinah said as she let her daughter in. "Please tell me you did not wake that child to get on the road early." 

"I got her a donut from that little shop we used to stop at when I was a kid," Sara said, as if that made up for it. Dinah took Quinn from Sara and brought her upstairs while Sara got the bags from the car. They were spending the whole week in Central City since this was a half-week for Quinn and Nyssa apparently had some things to attend to. Sara didn't question it, she had a chance to go see her mom and Quinn hadn't gotten to go up to Central City in forever. 

"So, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Dinah asked her daughter. 

"I missed you and Quinn never really gets to see you," Sara answered. "Is this the part where you ask me how the better daughter is doing?" 

"No, it's not. Laurel called me this morning and she's doing good. She was on a run," Dinah said with a sad smile. "Something's bothering her and she doesn't feel like she's got anybody to talk to. I think you should reach out to her Sara." 

"That'll go so well for me," Sara said with a huff. "We get along so well." 

"It was a stressful situation, everybody was on edge. Think about what your father would want the two of you to do. I don't want to die seeing my daughters hate each other." 

"Are you dying mom?" Sara asked and Dinah shook her head. "Good, then there's no rush." 

"This is ridiculous. When you get back to Star City, you call Laurel and you invite her to dinner or something. Just, please, make an effort. I'd really like to have both my girls at Christmas this year, together."

* * *

Mia's eyes narrowed as she stared at the boy playing on the monkey bars. Mia didn't understand why he was always so mean to her. He called her names, said mean things about Papa Quentin and Auntie Laurel, and tripped her in the hallway when he could. Quinn normally got him back for her, but she wasn't there. Today, he was a little extra mean to her. He seemed to be lurking behind her when she turned around and he'd even moved his desk closer to hers. A couple of the other kids thought that he liked her, but Mia didn't agree. If you liked someone, you should be nice to them, not a stupid jerk face. 

"Turn around," Weston said as he tapped on her shoulder. Mia turned around and the little boy leaned in and tried to kiss her. She moved away from him and wiped the spot off her cheek. "Hey, that's not cool. You're my girlfriend, I like you." 

"That doesn't make me your girlfriend. You're mean to me, so I don't like you!" Mia shouted at him. That sort of got the attention of the teachers, but what really had was when the small blonde girl pushed him backwards. He tripped and made a big show of it, which was sure to get her in trouble. When the teachers came, Mia didn't seem apologetic in the slightest. "Don't even try that again you nasty." 

* * *

"Have you read all these books Gramma?" Quinn asked as she laid on the shag rug in the library. Sara was trying to hook up her old gaming system to the big TV in the living room and needed Quinn to be out of her way for a little bit. Dinah, intent on keeping her grandchild's mind sharp and not letting it waste away with video games, offered to take the little girl up to the library. 

"I've read most of them. Not all of them completely though, a lot of them I use for research and my lessons," Dinah said to the little girl. Dinah saw so much of both her daughters in Quinn. Quinn looked mainly like Sara physically, but there were definitely some little things that Quinn did that Laurel used to. Although, from what Dinah remembered about Nyssa, some of those mannerisms and traits could have come from the dark haired woman. "Do you like reading books?" 

"Sometimes, but the ones at Mama's are way too long," Quinn said. "But Mom's books are too easy." 

"We'll get you some books tomorrow after mini golf," Dinah promised. Almost as if on cue, Sara walked into the library with a bright smile on her face. 

"Mini golf? Sweet," Sara said as she scooped Quinn up. "It is ready little one." 

"Tomorrow Gramma's getting me books," Quinn said excitedly. "Not hard ones like at Mama's or baby books like at your house." 

"Those aren't baby books. They're perfectly appropriate for someone your age to be reading," Sara said, somewhat defensively. 

"Just go show her the game Sara," Dinah said and Sara ran downstairs with Quinn slung over her shoulder. Dinah followed her daughter down and sat with them on the couch as Sara taught Quinn how to play that game. The two of them seemed to really bond over the different games that Sara had on the old console. After the third round of Just Dance, Quinn got tuckered out, so Sara took her upstairs and tucked her in. Dinah got a couple glasses of wine for them and some cookies to eat while they had another talk. 

"I normally don't drink when I have her," Sara said as she took a sip. 

"I know, you're a good mom Sara. Both of you are, she's very lucky," Dinah said and Sara smiled. 

"And to think, you were the one who was on my ass about divorcing so quickly and not settling down with someone who would have made a good parent," Sara said with a chuckle. "And now you're telling me how good of a job I'm doing." 

"Your father and I never divorced because we didn't want it to affect you. We should have, whatever he said to you, I'm grateful that he did. How's Nyssa been?" Dinah asked and Sara shrugged. "Do you two not talk either now?" 

"We do, sometimes. She's been busy with work and something else is stressing her out. I'm sure that Laurel knows, they're close I think. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if they got together. I swear they're more alike than we were," Sara sighed. 

"Would you be upset if Nyssa and Laurel got together?" 

"Of course not. Nyssa might be the only person I would 100% trust to never break my sister's heart." Sara swirled the liquid in the glass and then took a sip. "She's a perfect gentlewoman, through and through. She'd never go after Laurel though because she'd be afraid of what I'd think." 

"Tell her, give them both a nudge them. Sometimes it takes a workaholic to get through to a workaholic."

* * *

Talia waited patiently for Nyssa to arrive. Nyssa wasn't late, but she wasn't as early as expected. Talia sighed as she looked around the restaurant part of the hotel. It was nice, almost five stars nice to be exact. This was important, the first step in Nyssa and Talia being able to move past their childhood together. Despite what Nyssa thought, Talia hadn't gotten it easier. She had just gotten her hardships from a different source with different reasoning. Talia wanted Nyssa gone, she wanted her to go with her mother, so Talia made it an environment that pushed Nyssa away. 

"Why are you staring at the glass of water like it killed your cat?" Nyssa asked and Talia glanced up at her sister in surprise. 

"Nyssa al Ghul, opening a conversation with a joke," Talia said with a little smile. 

"Nyssa Raatko," Nyssa corrected. "I do not use that other surname in this country." 

"You used it at the bank," Talia said as Nyssa slid over the check. "This should keep your name out of the lawyers' mouths." 

"Good. Now, what was your personal business?" Nyssa asked and Talia sighed. 

"I wanted to apologize and formally ask if I may be a part of your life. I wouldn't be around enough to annoy you much, just when I pass through or am close enough for a visit. I would not mind detouring to see you," Talia said hopefully. Nyssa took a moment to ponder whether it was a good idea to let Talia in. 

"We do things on my terms and you leave the parts of my life I don't share with you alone. You aren't telling me everything about your visit, so I don't have to tell you everything about my life here," Nyssa said and they shook on it. 

"Are all of our interactions going to feel like business deals?" 

"Probably, move on."


	7. Chapter 7

It was a rare moment when Laurel didn't have anything super important to do until the afternoon. Felicity had taken Mia to school and there weren't any law or office emergencies that her boss felt he was too busy to take care of. Laurel had been out on her run already, grabbed a good breakfast and great coffee, and now she had to kill about an hour of her time. A part of her wondered what Sara was up to. There were a couple of things that Laurel wanted to ask Sara, but she didn't think their relationship could handle that. Especially because they were sparked from Nyssa's revelation from her night of drinking. Laurel decided on just calling Sara to ask if maybe she'd want to go up and have dinner with their mother one night. 

"Here goes nothing," Laurel said to herself as she dialed Sara's number. It rang a couple of times and then was picked up, much to Laurel's surprise. "Sara?" 

_**"Yes, you meant to call me right?"**_ Sara asked. Laurel heard her sigh on the other end before starting over, _**"Sorry. Hi Laurel, it's nice to hear from you. How are things at the DA's office?"**_

"Hello Sara. Things are well, thank you for asking. Are you still working at the store?" Laurel asked, deciding to go with the polite chit chat. 

_**"I got fired like a couple months ago. I'm working at Verdant now, Thea pays me too much, but it's keeping the lights on without relying on Nyssa,"**_ Sara said. 

"You know, sometimes it's okay to let your pride go." 

**_"Is that what you're doing right now by calling me? Letting your pride go?"_**

"Trust me, this isn't the part where I let my pride go. That comes after we get things to a more natural place. I'm actually calling you to ask if you and Quinn wanna come up to Central City with me and have dinner with mom. She's really been on my ass about having a proper family dinner," Laurel said with a nervous chuckle. "So, um, that felt like a good starting place for us to maybe repair." 

**_"Yeah, I would really like that Laurel. It'd make holidays a lot easier for Quinn and mom. I'll ask off on Friday night so we can go up there when Quinn gets out of school,"_** Sara said. _ **"I'll talk to you later, okay?"**_

"Definitely, and you can text me if you need anything Sara. Even if it's stupid," Laurel told her sister. The two of them said their goodbyes and then Sara hung up the phone to get some rest after her long shift at the club.

* * *

"Um, Ms. Sharpe?" Gary poked his head into Ava's office. Ava looked up at her secretary and then down at the small child standing somewhat behind him. "Quinn Lance wants to know if you have a minute?" 

"Of course I do," Ava said, standing up. When she had told Sara that she'd keep an extra eye out for Quinn, she had meant it for more than that one rough day. Ava had taken a look at Quinn's file and while she had been in a lot of trouble when she'd first started school, the girl was smart and had been described as having a sweet heart. Ava didn't want to see her get frustrated and lashing out on people, so she had told the girl that if she needed to talk, she could come in. "Come on in sweetie. What's going on?" 

"I think my mom is sad," Quinn said and Ava sighed. "Both of them. Mama works too much for dates and Mom says I'm all she needs, but when happens when I'm grown up?" 

"Parenting can be a full time job, but it's very rewarding. I'm sure that you fulfill both of your mothers lives," Ava told Quinn. "But I understand wanting to make sure your moms have other people there for them. You're a very caring little girl Quinn, your mothers did a good job." 

"Mama tells me that I get my kind heart from my mom. Apparently you can see it in my eyes and I have my mom's eyes, Pa Pa used to tell me all the time," Quinn said proudly. "Do you think I look like my mom?" 

"I do, it's a striking resemblance," Ava said and Quinn beamed. "I don't know what your Mama looks like though." 

"A model, the guys at the grocery store hit on her a lot. They don't know she is a lemon though," Quinn said. 

"A lemon?" Ava asked. 

"She only wants to kiss and marry other girls," Quinn clarified. 

"A lesbian," Ava muttered and Quinn nodded. 

"Yeah, a lemon." Ava refrained from chuckling, but barely. "Do you like girls? I bet you could go on a date with my mom. She talks to you when she brings me in. She never talks to Rip, but he yelled at me a couple times when I was really little." 

"I, uh, don't think I'm your mom's type," Ava said with a nervous chuckle. 

"Oh course you are. You're very pretty and nice, she likes pretty and nice people. I bet if you really nice to me and her, she'd marry you." 

* * *

"Why are your hands all sweaty Mommy?" Mia asked as she dragged her mom out of the kitchen. Felicity had been working so hard on making a good dinner for their guest, but she hadn't even told Mia who was coming. "What's the big deal about this person anyways?" 

"Well, it's your aunt. Her name is Thea, she's your dad's sister," Felicity told Mia. Mia's eyes widened with excitement at the mention of a new person she didn't know yet. Despite being a quiet and shy kid, she loved getting to meet people, especially if they knew her dad. Occasionally, someone would stop by who knew her dad like Barry and Iris, Kara, or Uncle John and Aunt Lyla. "She's very excited to see you. She hasn't seen you since you were a little baby." 

"Does she look like me?" Mia asked and Felicity shook her head. 

"Not really, turns out the Smoak genes are pretty potent," Felicity said as she ruffled Mia's hair. Mia set the table and set out one of her favorite juice boxes for Thea to try when she got there. Felicity watched as Mia went into a big of a frenzy like she had earlier. When the doorbell rang, Felicity took it as a big relief because it meant that Mia slowed down. "Thea, hi." 

"Hey you," Thea said with a smile as she stepped inside of the house. Mia hid behind the couch and just sort of stared at Thea from there, but she ducked down whenever Thea looked over at her. 

"She's a bit shy," Felicity said and Thea nodded. "Comes with being a Smoak I guess." 

"I'm new, it's good that she's wary," Thea said. "Must mean she's a smart girl. That she has to get from you and not Ollie." 

"Ollie?" Mia's tiny voice called out as she peeked up from the couch. "Is that what you called my Daddy?" 

"Yeah, it was. I'm Thea, it's nice to meet you," Thea introduced herself and shook Mia's hand. 

"I'm Mia." Mia held onto Thea's hand and dragged her towards the kitchen table. She grabbed the juice box and handed it over to Thea. "This is for you." 

"Oh thank you. I have something for you in my car," Thea said and Mia sat down at the table. Thea excused herself to go get it and came back with a little box. "I found them when I was cleaning up my house." 

"What is that?" Mia asked pointing to the picture of Oliver holding a picture of Mia's ultrasound. 

"That's the first picture of you and Oliver," Felicity said and Mia smiled as she looked down at it. "He was so happy to see you. I forgot that even existed." 

"I thought it fit better here, in your home," Thea said. Mia looked at the next couple of pictures and then paused at one of Thea holding a baby. "That's us, we'll have to get some new ones because I think both of us look different."

"Can we get some with Quinn too? And Aunt Laurel, and Aunt Sara, and Donna, and Grandma Dinah? I want everybody, please?" Mia pouted up at Felicity, who just nodded. 

"That sounds great. I have a friend who's a professional photographer," Thea offered and Mia's eyes lit up. "We can get you a glam squad and go clothes shopping before." 

"I don't really like shopping, but Aunt Laurel and Quinn like it. Do you know Aunt Laurel?" Mia asked. 

"I do, but I haven't seen her in awhile either," Thea said sadly. 

"You should come over more and see her then."

* * *

There were dive bars and then were was the hellish pit that Sara had just walked into. Back when Sara had first moved into her apartment after the divorce, Mick had been there when the landlord was a dick. He'd acted like he was too tough and cool to care about anybody or anything, but when he saw Quinn, things had changed. Sara didn't understand it, but her daughter had a talent for making the toughest guys soften up a bit. Sara had stayed in that building, but Mick had worked things out and managed to move in with his baby mama and daughter. 

"Jesus, Mick, is this where you spend your week nights?" Sara asked as she sat down next to him at the bar. 

"It isn't all the time, but they've got the good stuff. Also, gives Lita a chance to practice driving when she comes and picks me up," Mick said as he took a drink. Sara rolled her eyes and waved the bartender over. She ordered herself a beer, which Mick insisted on covering. "So, you still at the building?" 

"Yep, and I've got Quinn every weekend now. Also, a couple times during the week when Nyssa decides to work early or stay in the office late," Sara said with a little smile. "If I can get a good job, I think that maybe we could get a house or something. Nothing too big." 

"What happened to Central City?" Mick asked and Sara sighed. "Nyssa threaten court?" 

"No, Nyssa was perfect about it. Six whole months we lived up there with my mom in that house. God, it was great, but I felt so bad. Quinn didn't make any friends at that school up there and she had to wear a uniform. So, we moved back and I swore that I've never seen Nyssa look so rough in her entire life. Nyssa made the commute up to Central City every couple of weeks and I offered to take Quinn down there, but my mom told her that I was taking classes and had homework to do..." Sara trailed off and shut herself up by taking a drink. "So, how's Lita?" 

"Great, about to get her license. Sometimes I let her pick me up from the bar or drive to get groceries. I, uh, got her a surprise for her 16th next week," Mick told Sara. He pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of a guitar. It looked vintage and expensive. "It's a classic, used at an actual concert from one of those newer bands she likes. I took her to see them last year. Not too bad, but doesn't hold up." 

"Alright old man," Sara chuckled. 

"Hey, I am the one buying your beers tonight," Mick said and Sara pretended to zip her mouth shut. The two of them kept talking and eventually Sara decided that she had to go home for the night and get some rest.


	8. Chapter 8

"From what I hear, she is very promising," Talia said as she spoke to the man in charge. He had seemed surprised that she'd walked into his office and gotten herself a meeting so easily. Despite the fact that his schedule appeared to be clear after lunch, he acted as if he was busy and overly important. Talia knew the type, she'd sat in during enough of her father's business meetings to know that type of man. In some ways, her father had been like him, but Ra's could have made himself busy if he really wanted to. "So, she is the woman I wish to represent my client." 

"Your client doesn't appear to be a part of this investigation. Is she someone that we should be looking at?" 

"No, she is not knowingly a part of any illegal activities. I just do not wish to leave her out in the dust. We protect the ones we care about, surely you understand that," Talia said with a considerable amount of snark. "So, if you do not mind, I wish to speak to Laurel Lance." 

"Laurel doesn't want anything to do with the al Ghul case," the man said. 

"Who said anything about the al Ghul case? That is not a name you should throw around so lightly because it is a name that could easily wipe you from existence. Now, show me to Laurel Lance," Talia demanded. The man walked Talia over to the office where the young lawyer was packing up for the day. "I wish to inquire your services. Every month, I can wire $10,000 while you are not called upon, but if you are, we can talk out a better amount then. Here is your first check." 

"Um, thank you," Laurel said as she took the check. "Am I representing you?" 

"No, but someone very close to me. They are all I have left," Talia said and Laurel nodded. "Goodbye Ms. Lance." 

"Um, bye."

* * *

"Gramma!" Quinn yelled excited as she ran towards Dinah. Dinah happily hugged the little girl and then stood straight to hug her daughters. There were no bruises on either of their faces, so Dinah took it as a successful drive up. "What's for dinner?" 

"I made spaghetti like your Pa Pa used to," Dinah answered and both Laurel and Sara ran inside. Quinn walked in holding Dinah's hand and telling her about the day she had at school. The dinner started quietly until Dinah spoke up and asked Quinn a question, "Has your mom cleaned up her apartment for me to come down during Thanksgiving?" 

"No way, it is a pig's eye," Quinn said and Sara scoffed. 

"It'd be less messy if you put your things in your room," Sara said and Quinn gave her a look. "I'm your mom, not your maid." 

"Karma always gonna getcha," Dinah said. "You were always a messy one Sara. That's why I never let you in my study." 

"Or eat on the couch until you were 17," Laurel reminded her. Sara scoffed and went back to picking at her spaghetti. 

"You should say sorry. I think she feels bad," Quinn said and Sara nodded. 

"I'm sorry Sara," Laurel said, sincerely. Sara smiled and looked expectantly at her mother. 

"Nope, and just be glad that Nyssa isn't here. You always were bashful around her." 

"Mom, when are you gonna get a new wife?" Quinn asked and Sara choked on her drink. "Or a husband?" 

"Let's slow down, I haven't even been on a date with anyone yet," Sara said, ignoring the snickering coming from Laurel and Dinah. 

"You could go on a date with Ava. She's nice and pretty. You said you liked Mama because she was nice and pretty," Quinn suggested. 

"Ava, the assistant principal?" Laurel asked and Quinn nodded. "She is pretty and very nice to Quinn and Mia. She's tall and I've seen her on my runs before, she's in shape." 

"Laurel doesn't date, why don't we find her someone nice." Sara tried changing the topic. 

"We like grilling Laurel during dessert because she's distracted by the cake," Dinah said and Sara huffed. 

* * *

"Whoa, this place is huge. Probably even bigger than Nyssa's!" Mia exclaimed as she looked around Thea's. Felicity had agreed to let Thea take Mia for a couple of nights after the girl had begged to spend some more time with her aunt. Felicity welcomed the break for a night or two and even called into work. Luckily, Zari was covering for her, so it wasn't like the company would stop functioning. 

"I haven't seen Nyssa's house before, but maybe," Thea said as Mia ran around the living room. "When it warms up again, we can go swimming in the pool. Until then, do you want a tour?" 

"Sure, can you show me where my Daddy's room was?" Mia asked and Thea nodded. Thea showed Mia the rooms she figured Mia would be interested in before going upstairs. She paused in front of Oliver's room and then opened the door. "Wow, he had a neat room for a boy." 

"It was cleaned for him," Thea said with a little chuckle. "Do you want me to show you your room?" 

"I have a room here?" Mia asked, astonished by the thought. 

"You do," Thea said, motioning for Mia to follow her. Thea walked her down the hall and then opened another door. "It's next to my room. Your mom told me that you get scared sometimes at night, so you can come get me if you get scared." 

"You mean it?" Mia asked and Thea nodded. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome." Thea smiled at the genuine gratitude on the little girl's face. "I was scared of the dark for a long time when I was your age. I used to run to Ollie's room sometimes, but then he'd get grumpy. So I went to my mom's room." 

"Does your mom live here?" Mia asked and Thea shook her head. "Is she dead too?" 

"No, she's just on vacation. She should be back by Christmas," Thea said and Mia frowned. "What?" 

"Where will you go for the turkey?" Mia asked. 

"I don't know. I'll probably just make something here," Thea told her. 

"Do you know Grandma Dinah?" Mia asked and Thea nodded. 

"I've met Laurel and Sara's mom," Thea told her. 

"You should see if you can come over and eat with us. She makes good food," Mia suggested. "I'll ask if you can come. I bet you can though because Laurel likes you and maybe you could even go to Sara's turkey." 

* * *

Nyssa felt bad about disturbing Felicity, but she felt the need to talk to someone. Felicity and Nyssa hadn't known each other well, but they got along relatively okay. Felicity had been a bit hostile towards Nyssa after the divorce, but once the blonde realized that Nyssa meant no ill will towards Sara, they were fine again. In fact, over the time that Nyssa had stuck around to be in Quinn's life, she'd become a part of Mia's as well. Nyssa was not opposed to taking the girls once or twice a month for a night or two and letting them turn her living room into a blanket fort playhouse. Hopefully, Felicity would not be opposed to letting Nyssa talk about her current mental impasse. 

"Do you have a moment to talk? I brought alcohol," Nyssa said and Felicity let her in. Nyssa handed over the brown bag and Felicity inspected what Nyssa had brought. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I brought a variety." 

"All of these bottles look like they cost more than one of my bills," Felicity said as she set everything on the table. "What did you want to talk about?" 

"Simply put, Laurel." 

"What's the complicated way of putting it?" Felicity asked, wary at the mention of her close friend. "And choose your words wisely." 

"I feel as if I have developed feelings for Laurel Lance. I normally would talk to Laurel about my personal problems, but I can't do that. I can't mention it to Sara because why the hell would I do that? I refuse to let my sister know of Sara and Quinn's existence. You are the only person I felt I could trust to turn to. Besides, you are the most logical," Nyssa said and Felicity tried processing what Nyssa told her. 

"Okay, so you're in love with Laurel?" Felicity asked and Nyssa shook her head. "You like her though?" 

"I love her, she means a lot to me, but I am not in love with her," Nyssa said, staring down at her hands. "I like her though, I think she is attractive and I would try almost anything to make her happy. She doesn't like her though, she is straight." 

"Not completely, but she thinks that it's easier if she sticks to what she knows," Felicity said and Nyssa seemed intrigued. "Give her time, but let her know that you're there. Maybe if she knows that you're an actual option, she'll be more likely to listen to the little voice in the back of her head and take that risk with you." 


	9. Chapter 9

"It's sort of weird seeing you here when Laurel's here," Felicity said as she sat down at the breakfast table. Laurel glanced over at Sara, who was debating over whether she wanted coffee or chocolate milk with her breakfast. "It's nice, but weird." 

"This will take some getting used to, but it's how things should be," Laurel said happily. "Now, as for tonight, Nyssa is taking the girls for the night, so we are all free to enjoy ladies' night." 

"I thought you didn't drink," Thea said. Laurel got her sobriety chip out and then put it back so she didn't misplace it. "So, what part of ladies' night will you be enjoying?" 

"The part where I get attention for a few hours," Laurel told her. "Also, I'm driving tonight." 

"Cool, well, I am getting wasted," Sara said with a devious smirk. "And you will not be driving me home. Nor will I end up at my apartment. I'm going home with somebody, I deserve it." 

"I think we all deserve it, but do they deserve us?" Thea pondered. "That is the real question." 

"No the real question is what's the drink limit?" Felicity asked. Sara pulled a wad of crumpled bills from her pocket and started counting it out. 

"$29," Sara answered. "Because that's all my spare cash for the week." 

"Swallow the pride and you could be drinking top shelf dear sister," Laurel said and Sara scoffed. "I'm just saying." 

"Are we pregaming because Nyssa left some really nice stuff here," Felicity said and Sara followed the smaller blonde to where she kept the alcohol. Sara looked over the bottles and reached for one. "It's a little early for that." 

"She brought this over here?" Sara asked and Felicity nodded. "Huh, she would never buy this. She hated it." 

"Wasn't this always in your liquor cabinet?" Laurel asked and Sara nodded. 

"It was my favorite. We tried it when she brought me to Russia," Sara said with a fond smile. 

"You can take it if you want," Felicity said and Sara gave her a thankful look. "I don't like drinking anyways."

* * *

Talia gingerly walked into the gym. Nyssa had told her to meet her there if she wanted to talk, so Talia came. It didn't surprise Talia that her sister kept herself in shape, they had both been raised with the mindset that your mind and body needed to be in peak condition. The difference was the way that they kept themselves in shape. Nyssa had resorted to gyms while Talia had kept with the ways that their father had taught them. It was unconventional, but it did the trick and then some. 

"You're rich, you know that right?" Talia asked as she looked around the gym. 

"What? No." Sarcasm dripped off of Nyssa's voice as she sat on the corner of the boxing ring. "Do you have gloves?" 

"Are we boxing each other?" Talia asked and Nyssa nodded. "Why the gloves then? We can spar like we used to, unless you're scared or something." 

Nyssa knew that Talia was trying to tease her. She knew that, and yet, she still bit. Nyssa took her own gloves off, but kept her wraps on because she was doing something stupid, but she wasn't stupid. Eventually, the sparring session would turn into a fight and devolve to a brawl like when they were kids. Unlike when they were kids though, Nyssa wasn't going to let Talia get the best of her. 

"Fine, but this time will be different," Nyssa said. 

"You've said that before." Talia brushed Nyssa's words off and got into the ring. They both nodded at each other and then began to circle each other. Normally, Nyssa's inexperience would have caused her to rush in, but she didn't move until she saw the opening. Nyssa faked going in for a punch and then dove at Talia's leg, targeting the knee that her older sister was favoring. Talia fell to the ground and Nyssa pressed her arm against Talia's throat. "Yield." 

"Did you just yield?" Nyssa asked as she stood up. "We didn't even make it a minute." 

"You're bigger and stronger than when we were children Nyssa. Back then, my age was an advantage," Talia told her younger sister. 

"You're old, small, and weak. Is that the point you're trying to get across?" Nyssa teased. Talia shoved her back a bit and Nyssa swept her leg, knocking her down again. Talia pulled Nyssa down onto the ground and the two of them exchanged blows from the ground until Nyssa got a good shot in. 

"Alright, for real, I'm done. Let me buy you a coffee since you beat me fair and square." 

* * *

Sara wasn't sure how much she had to drink, but it was definitely more than $29 in drinks. She didn't remember much from last night, but she did remember going home with someone. It had been a very attractive someone, with an odd familiarity. Sara had slept with someone that she knew and while she wanted to make a run for it, she decided to wait and see who it was. While she waited, Sara looked around the bedroom she was laying in. Half of the bed was neatly made, she was laying on expensive sheets, and the room itself was extremely tidy. Sara got out of the bed and began to put her clothes on when the bedroom door opened. 

"Um, Ms. Lance," Ava said awkwardly. "I guess that answers a few questions." 

"I guess, yeah," Sara said with a nervous chuckle. "Also, we definitely had sex, so you can call me Sara from now on. I mean, what's the point of formalities when we know each other carnally." 

"That's one way to put it." Ava sat down on the edge of her bed. Sara had tried to make the side she'd slept on nicely, but it didn't work. "I, um, have to be at the school before it opens. I take it you won't be dropping Quinn off this morning." 

"It's Nyssa's time. I have her on weekends," Sara said and Ava nodded. "Um, speaking of her. How's she doing?" 

"Good, she worries about you and your ex-wife. I guess she doesn't have to worry about you being too lonely," Ava said and Sara's head shot up. 

"I don't do this often, not anymore really. You should call me sometime, maybe we could do it again," Sara said with a wink. 

"I don't have your number," Ava said and Sara gave her a look. "I wouldn't get it from the school, that's an invasion of privacy." 

"Fine-," Sara pulled her phone out and handed it to Ava, "-give me yours." 

* * *

It had been a weird night for Nyssa. She was still thinking about the sparring session with Talia when she'd picked the girls up from school. Laurel, Sara, and Felicity had come by while Nyssa was making dinner to say goodbye and goodnight to the girls. Quinn had been moody for some reason and decided that she was mad at Nyssa for absolutely no reason at all. Mia had felt bad and decided to be extra nice to Nyssa in an attempt to make up for Quinn's behavior. Normally, Nyssa would have put Quinn in time out or taken away something for the night, but Nyssa knew that Quinn was probably upset about Sara not staying the night. 

"Mama?" Quinn asked quietly as she sat up. Despite Quinn's sour mood, she had insisted on sleeping in Nyssa's bed for the night. Nyssa knew that it was because of Mia being there, but Nyssa didn't understand. She knew that Mia was afraid of the dark and Quinn had quite the impressive collection of night lights. 

"Yes sweetie," Nyssa answered as she grabbed her jacket from her closet. 

"Do you think that Mom would go on a date with Ms. Sharpe?" Quinn asked and Nyssa paused. "Because I think she should. You should tell her it's okay so she won't feel guilty." 

"Sara is her own person, she does not need my approval to date people," Nyssa told her daughter. A part of Nyssa wanted to backtrack and tell Quinn that she was sorry if her answer seemed harsh, but she didn't. "Go and get ready. I'll take us all out to breakfast." 

"Okay," Quinn said happily. Nyssa went into the bathroom to finish up her makeup and Quinn woke up Mia. Nyssa let the girls pick where they ate breakfast and then she dropped them off at school. 

"Auntie Nyssa, will you walk us to the door?" Mia asked. 

"Of course," Nyssa told her. Nyssa parked her car and walked the girls across the crosswalk. They walked a little further and then the girls went inside. Nyssa turned around and paused when she saw a woman standing behind her. 

"Um, are you Quinn's mother?" Ava asked and Nyssa nodded. "Oh, I'm Ava Sharpe. It's nice to finally meet you." 

"Likewise, my daughter has spoken about you. I think she likes you." Nyssa shook Ava's hand. "Keep her out of trouble. She may have Sara's natural instinct to care for people, but she has my temperament." 


	10. Chapter 10

Sara wasn't sure what she expected for Thanksgiving, but she knew that sleeping in until noon was not happening. Sometimes whenever Dinah came to Star City, Sara got to sleep in late because her mom took Quinn out for the day. Instead, Dinah had come into Quinn's room where Sara's daughter so willingly shared her bed for the night, and woke Sara up at 5:30. Obviously, Sara's mother had been awake for quite some time before that because she was already dressed and Sara could hear the television on the news as Sara dragged herself to the bathroom. So, Sara took a hot shower to wake herself up and then got dressed before waking Quinn up. 

"Be careful with the water," Sara said as Quinn ran off to take her shower. Quinn had decided that she was too old for baths at Sara's after Nyssa let her take a shower. Sara was a bit apprehensive, but she trusted Quinn. Sara just couldn't believe it when Quinn insisted that she was too old for something because to Sara, that was her little girl. "Ugh, they grow up so fast sometimes." 

"I know what you mean. One minute I'm changing your diaper and yelling at Laurel not to run around and the next she's taking her bar and you're getting a divorce," Dinah said with amazement in her voice.

"I doubt that Quinn will be getting a divorce anytime soon. She's smart, she wouldn't get married unless she was sure of it," Sara told her mother. 

"You were sure about Nyssa, we all were," Dinah said with a heavy sigh. "I'm not totally convinced that she's not right for one of my girls." 

"Laurel?" Sara shouldn't have been surprised. The topic had come up before, but Sara was really starting to think her mother was convinced that her sister and ex-wife were soul mates. Sara saw the chemistry, had seen it since she brought Nyssa home to meet the family. 

* * *

_"So, my dad might try to kill you, but it'll be fine," Sara said as she ushered Nyssa towards the door. "You brought him nice scotch, that'll distract him for at least 30 minutes."_

_"Enough to forget I eloped with his daughter so that we could qualify for a program that resulted in you getting pregnant with our baby?" Nyssa asked and Sara paused for a moment. "Because that's a pretty big thing to forget."_

_"You know what, if he asks, you're my girlfriend." Sara patted Nyssa on the shoulder and Nyssa grabbed Sara's hand. "I know, you hate lying, but I was totally promised hot sex after the baby is born and you sorta have to be there for that or it's just masturbating."_

_"Gross Sara," Laurel said as she shoved past her sister. "Hi, I'm Sara's sister, Laurel."_

_"Hello, I am Nyssa Raatko," Nyssa introduced herself. "It is a pleasure to meet you."_

_"Nice to meet you too," Laurel said. Sara walked ahead of them and let them talk for a bit outside. "Raatko, like the company?"_

_"Yes, I wasn't aware many Americans were familiar with them," Nyssa said, intrigued by Laurel's knowledge of her family company._

_"Law student, they're a big thing here right now. I'm not a business lawyer, but I've taken some business law classes. If the company moved here, would you work for them?" Laurel asked and Nyssa shrugged._

_"It depends on if my grandfather calls on me. He refused to let my mother work for the company because of his traditions. However, I feel confident in my abilities to persuade him to let me run an American branch of the company."_

_"Well, good luck. Oh, and a tip for my parents, my dad likes baseball and classic action movies. My mom likes talking about academic and historical stuff." Nyssa nodded and began to plot out conversation points for both Dinah and Quentin._

_"And as for our conversations, I did take a class or two of pre-law," Nyssa said with a small smile. "So, I can keep up with a bit of the jargon."_

* * *

Nyssa was surprised to say the least when Sara was the first to show up. Once she saw Dinah though, it began to make sense. Dinah had about 26 years of making sure that Sara was on time. Luckily for Nyssa, Quinn had picked up on her habit of punctuality instead of Sara's of tardiness. Sara tried, Nyssa gave her that, but sometimes it took more than what Sara was able to give. Especially with Quinn, who Nyssa admitted had too many conflicting traits from her mothers to be able to make anything perfectly easy. 

"Morning Mama," Quinn said as she walked into the house. Nyssa smiled and patted Quinn's head as the small child hugged her mother's legs. Quinn immediately went over to the couch and laid down, obviously tired. Despite not wanting to be late for things, she also rarely wanted to ever be up. Nyssa decided that it was better for her daughter to love sleeping than to be like Nyssa and rarely be able to do it. 

"Sara, Dinah, come in. I haven't started cooking yet though," Nyssa said and Sara went to go lay on the couch with Quinn. However, she didn't get very far before Dinah grabbed the back of her collar and pulled her back. Dinah cleared her throat and Sara groaned. 

"We're here to help you cook breakfast," Sara said. 

"It's okay Sara, Laurel's gonna be here any minute," Nyssa told her ex-wife. "I don't think I can handle both of you in the kitchen. I don't think the kitchen can handle both of you." 

"Fine, pick your favorite," Sara grumbled. "See Mom, she doesn't want me to help her. Quinn looks like she needs help though." 

"Sara, you could at least try to make conversation," Dinah chided. 

"The snuggie is upstairs and I got new pods for the machine. They came in a couple nights ago," Nyssa said and Sara ran to get her snuggie. Nyssa got things started in the kitchen and when Laurel came, Nyssa slowed down a bit and made sure that Laurel knew what to do. Neither Sara nor Laurel were necessarily good with cooking, but Nyssa was more than willing to help them out. Everything was finished by the time that Felicity and Mia got there. 

"Are those sprinkles in the pancakes? Nyssa Raatko feeding her child sugar in the morning," Sara tsked. Nyssa pinched Sara as she walked past and the blonde yelped. 

"No sprinkle pancakes for you," Nyssa said and Sara pouted. "Not married, doesn't work." 

"Did it work when you were married?" Laurel asked and Sara shook her head. 

"If she was working, not at all. If she was like this, sometimes. I had reinforcements though," Sara said with a wink. Laurel punched her in the arm and Sara moved to sit at the kids' area.

* * *

_"Have you gotten up today?" Sara asked as she walked into Nyssa's office. When Sara had left for her morning classes, Nyssa had been up and working. Sara stopped by for lunch and Nyssa had been working then. Now, it was nearly 8 in the evening and Nyssa looked like she hadn't moved a muscle. Sometimes Nyssa got really focused and nothing could snap her out of it, Sara had seen her like that before and it scared her. However, Sara knew that it was because of the way Nyssa had been raised. Nyssa had told her that she always had to finish a task before a new one was started._

_"Busy, I told you I'd come down for lunch," Nyssa said and Sara sighed. She walked out of the office and to the bedroom. She changed out of her regular clothes and instead of getting into sweats and an old shirt to sleep in, she went for the lingerie drawer. Nyssa was sure to pay attention to her then. Sara put on one of Nyssa's favorite sets, a silk robe, and then made her way back to Nyssa's office. "Sara, what is it now?"_

_"Turn around and you'll see," Sara teased. Nyssa couldn't resist indulging in Sara when she used that tone, so she turned around and Sara dropped the robe. "It's 8:05 PM. You missed lunch with me, you didn't order dinner, and you almost missed your dessert."_

_"Sara, I am busy," Nyssa said, but it sounded like she was trying to remind herself. "I am busy and can't do this right now."_

_"Your work has had you all day. Don't make me call Laurel for a movie marathon because I would hate to withhold sex," Sara said. "I mean, I can take care of myself, but I can't help but feel bad knowing you didn't do it for yourself."_

_"I guess I can take a little break."_

_"For the rest of the night," Sara said sternly. "I'll make sure you're busy that whole time if I have to."_

* * *

"Mom, this is a lot," Felicity said to Donna as she looked around the kitchen. 

"Well, you said that your friend Sara is bringing that adorable little girl, Dinah is gonna be here, and isn't the rich lady coming too?" Donna asked and Felicity nodded. 

"Nyssa, her name is Nyssa mom," Felicity told her mother. 

"You should try to get with her. I know she'd take care of you," Donna told her daughter. "It worries me sometimes, you being out here." 

"Mom, it's safe. I did the security system myself," Felicity promised her mother. 

"And you're brilliant. You are smarter than I could imagine myself being honey, but that doesn't mean I won't worry about you. You're my little girl. You'll worry about Mia forever and ever, like I will you." Donna was going to continue, but then Laurel and Thea got there. Nyssa brought Quinn over to play with Mia. 

"Hey, this is my Aunt Thea," Mia said as she pulled Quinn over to Thea. "She's my Daddy's sister." 

"You own the dance place my mom works at," Quinn said as she sat down next to Thea. "Mama says I can't hang out there after school anymore." 

"I don't blame her, but I sorta miss having you running around there," Thea said and Quinn smiled up at the woman. Mia excitedly told Quinn about her room at Thea's mansion and Quinn told Thea about her room at Sara's, which she found much cooler than her one at Nyssa's because Mick painted the walls for her to draw on. 

"Sorry we're late, it wasn't my fault this time," Sara said as she walked into the house. "Nyssa, can you go with my mom Black Friday shopping?" 

"Sure," Nyssa agreed. Sara pulled her out of the room and away from the children to ask her next question. Sara handed Nyssa some money and then explained what she needed Nyssa to pick up for Quinn's birthday present. 

* * *

"Fuck," Laurel swore as she bounced up and down. "God, why is it so cold out here?" 

"Here," Nyssa said as she shrugged off her jacket. Laurel tried to refuse it, but Nyssa persisted. "It was colder where I grew up than it is here. This does not penetrate the skin." 

"Penetrate the skin?" Dinah asked and Nyssa nodded. 

"Some cold you can feel pierce through your bones. I remember when my sister tried to drown me on a sledding trip in Russia," Nyssa said with a small shiver. "She broke the ice and pulled me into it. That was when my mother took us to America." 

"You say things sometimes like they're normal and I want you to know that it scares me," Dinah said and Nyssa tilted her head a bit. 

"I had a rough childhood before I moved," Nyssa said as they stepped forward. "My father was not a good man and my sister would have done anything for his approval. Especially if it made me look weaker in the process." 

"Yeah, there's a difference between trying to be the favorite and assassination attempts," Laurel told Nyssa. "Are you seriously not cold?" 

"I am not," Nyssa said and Laurel tucked herself under Nyssa's arm. "But you are shivering and shaking." 

"I noticed." Laurel pulled Nyssa closer to her. "You're so warm." 

They stayed like that until they got inside. Nyssa was quick to get the thing that Sara asked her to get for Quinn's birthday present before she joined back with Laurel and Dinah. Laurel kept her arm linked with Nyssa so that neither of them got tramped. Even without a cart, Nyssa was able to push her way through the crowd and get them to things they needed. At the checkout, Laurel left to go to the bathroom, leaving Dinah and Nyssa alone together. 

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you had feelings for my daughter," Dinah said with a chuckle. "But you're just a gentlewoman. You offer your jacket and your assistance when needed. But I also know that you don't like people touching you or holding onto you. You never used to let Sara do that, but you let Laurel do it. If you have feelings for her, you need to make sure she knows that." 

"I do not think that your daughter feels the same way," Nyssa said and Dinah gave her a look. 

"She's still young. She has things to figure out. Be there for her and make sure that she knows she can turn to you if needed. Sometimes the easiest way to fall in love is on accident," Dinah said and Nyssa let those words sink in.


	11. Chapter 11

Sara looked at the clock. She'd been up later than she knew she should have. Wednesday at Verdant had been busier than normal and Thea had kept the club open an extra hour. She'd also told Sara that if she needed to, that it was perfectly acceptable for her to go home when she should have. Instead, Sara stayed, taking the overtime and the extra tips for the night. All but a couple of the staff had went home at their scheduled time. Sara waited until she knew Ava thought Ava would be up. Sara would use the excuse of getting off work and waiting at least a week until she called Ava after getting her number. They hadn't really texted a lot, but Sara knew that Ava was busy and wary of accidentally dipping into Sara's beauty sleep. 

**_"Hello?"_** Ava asked, sounding much more alert than Sara would have if she'd gotten a call at this time. 

"Hey Ava, it's Sara. I think I've waited long enough to call you, haven't I?" Sara asked, an awkward chuckle towards the end. 

_**"I would say so,"**_ Ava said and Sara could hear the smile on her face. **_"Do you normally made a habit of calling women so early in the morning?"_**

"I got off work a little late and decided that it'd be nice to have some conversation while I look for dinner in my apartment," Sara said. 

_**"You could come and meet me for breakfast. It's not the nicest, but there's a pretty clean Denny's not too far from my apartment,"** _Ava offered. 

"I'll be there in 15," Sara agreed. 

**_"See you there then,"_** Ava said before she hung up. Sara quickly got herself ready to meet Ava for breakfast and then ran out to her car. Ava had beat her there and Sara smoothly slid into the booth. 

"Morning," Sara said with a small smile. "I haven't eaten at one of these places in forever." 

"It's close and fairly cheap," Ava said and Sara nodded. "I don't really know what to talk to you about." 

"Why'd you take the job as assistant principal here?" Sara asked. "I think that's a good starting point." 

"Rip offered it and said that he wanted someone good when he retired," Ava told Sara. "Are you from Star City or did you move here?" 

"Born and raised. Rip was my principal actually. That's sort of why I'm glad that I've only dealt with you so far." Sara laughed a little and Ava tilted her head. "I was not a good kid. I was a spoiled brat and always trying to pick fights. I still haven't quit doing the second thing honestly." 

"Sometimes I wish I could fight parents, I swear," Ava said quietly. Sara nodded at that and a waitress came to take their orders. "It's your turn to ask a question." 

"I didn't realize we were taking turns. Um, where are you from?" Sara asked, knowing she'd never once seen Ava in Star City before. Ava looked like she came from an upper-middle class family, so if she was from Star City, Sara would have seen Ava somewhere before. 

"California," Ava answered. "Do you like movies?" 

"Most people do," Sara chuckled. "Planning on asking me out on a date?" 

"Yes, actually. There's a theater playing Christmas themed horror movies. I was wondering if you'd like to go see one with me?" Ava asked. 

"That sounds great, pick a good one," Sara told her.

* * *

"Talia, I thought my name was staying out of the courtroom," Nyssa said as the two sisters walked towards the DA's office. "I do not have time to be doing this." 

"Why don't you have time Nyssa?" Talia asked her sister. Talia studied Nyssa closely and then took a step back from her. "You have somebody, don't you?" 

"That is none of your business," Nyssa said and Talia began to back her sister into a corner. 

"It is my business actually because if there is anybody else with ties to you, it falls under my duty to protect them as well," Talia hissed. "So you will be forthcoming with me about whoever else is in your life or I will find and pull every record and file with your name in it and dig it out the hard way." 

"It's not your duty to protect me," Nyssa said coldly. "It never has been." 

"Despite what has happened, yes it is. Especially in a time like now, so tell me who else my protection falls to," Talia said and Nyssa sighed. "Preferably before we go meet your lawyer." 

"I have a daughter and an ex-wife, Quinn and Sara," Nyssa told Talia. 

"Thank you," Talia said as she opened the door. "Ms. Lance, this is Nyssa, my younger sister and the woman you will be representing if the need arises." 

"Nyssa?" Laurel asked as she stood up. 

"Laurel," Nyssa said calmly. They shook hands and Talia watched the two of them interact. 

"I did not realize the two of you know each other," Talia said, leaning back against the door. "Care to indulge me on your relationship status?" 

"Laurel is Sara's sister and I consider us to be friends," Nyssa said and Laurel nodded. 

"Friends?" Talia asked, checking Laurel out. "I find that hard to believe Nyssa. Laurel here looks like your type to a 't' if I do say so myself." 

"Please don't," Nyssa told her sister.

* * *

"Mom, are you staying here with us?" Quinn asked as she stared at her two mothers. "Mama, can Mom stay?" 

"Yes, Sara can stay if she wants to," Nyssa said and Quinn looked hopefully at Sara. Sara nodded and sat down on a stool next to Quinn. 

"Sure, but make sure you wake me up before you leave," Sara said. 

"You can walk me to school and see Ms. Sharpe. I think she likes you because she smiles at you different than the other moms," Quinn said with a beaming grin. Sara blushed a little and then looked down, not wanting to talk about Ava with her ex-wife and daughter. "I think you like her too because you look at her funny." 

"Sara, do you have a crush?" Nyssa asked, a little too smug for Sara's liking. 

"After I get Mom a girlfriend, we'll get you one too Mama," Quinn said and Nyssa's grin fell. "Why are we sitting here?" 

"Because we're planning your birthday party," Nyssa said and Quinn shook her head. "What?" 

"I don't want a party. I don't like a lot of the other kids at school," Quinn said. 

"Well, what do you want?" Nyssa asked and Quinn thought about it for a couple minutes. 

"I want for Laurel and Mia to stay here for a night, and then I want to stay at Mom's on a week night," Quinn said and both Nyssa and Sara agreed to that. "I'm going to bed now, it's way too late." 

"Yeah, it is," Nyssa said as she checked her watch. "Let's go." 

"No, I'll do it myself. I'm almost seven Mama," Quinn insisted and Nyssa backed away. Quinn walked away and then Sara burst into laughter. 

"She's full of herself," Sara said and Nyssa shrugged. "I was like that too though. I'm sorry, I think." 

"I'm proud of her, she takes initiative. I wish that I had the strength to do that at her age. Instead, I was cowering in the corner from Talia with my books," Nyssa said and Sara rubbed Nyssa's arm. "Talia's in Star City." 

"Really?" Sara asked and Nyssa nodded. "Have you been talking?" 

"Yes, there is something going on legally. She seems cautious, which is weird. I think that she knew it could happen, but it wasn't supposed to. Anyways, she's hired Laurel as my lawyer and if it comes to it, Laurel will represent both you and Quinn as well," Nyssa said calmly. "But I won't let it get that far." 

"Don't do anything stupid, please." Sara felt weird telling Nyssa to do that, but she knew that Nyssa could be extreme. 

"Logic has always been my strong suit," Nyssa promised. Nyssa turned the television on and flipped it from Quinn's show to the news. Neither of them paid much attention until Nyssa's father's name came up on the screen. 

"...A former business partner to Ra's al Ghul and liaison for Raatko Industries has been arrested on several charges including fraud, embezzlement, murder, and ties to organized crime..." Nyssa froze for a moment and Sara turned off the television. Nyssa didn't say anything as she turned around and pulled out a bottle of alcohol and two glasses. 

"Nyssa, this doesn't mean anything," Sara said and Nyssa poured their drinks. She slid a glass over towards Sara and then downed her own. Sara watched as Nyssa poured herself another glass. The bottle was empty after that and Nyssa drank her second drink quickly before going to pour herself another. "Nyssa?" 

"Fuck!" Nyssa yelled as she threw the bottle against the wall. It shattered and Nyssa laid her head down for a moment. Sara backed up, knowing whatever was happening needed to happen. It broke Sara's heart to know that Nyssa's outburst was out of fear and a build-up of so many other things. Nyssa was always great and Sara knew that you could only be so served about things for so long before they caught up with you. It was when Nyssa broke the glass she'd been drinking out that Sara stopped her. 

"Hey, no. It's okay to be angry, but let's pull it back," Sara said as she wrapped her arms around Nyssa. Sara helped Nyssa slow her breathing and then it seemed like Nyssa was coming to her senses more. "Why did you react like that?" 

"Maybe it's still an honest business," Nyssa muttered as she stood up. "I need to clean my hand up." 

"You sit, I'll do it," Sara said and Nyssa hopped onto the counter and waited. 

"I think I'm gonna need Laurel," Nyssa said with a heavy sigh. "And maybe more lawyers."

"You're an honest businesswoman. You didn't work with Ra's," Sara said and Nyssa bit her lip. "Did you work with Ra's?" 

"I don't think I did, but I'm his daughter Sara. I'm sure that in some way, I was in with him before my mother left him. Talia's hands are covered in the blood of his sins and I can not be entirely clean," Nyssa said. "If I go away, protect her Sara. Protect her and don't let her know where she comes from."


	12. Chapter 12

Laurel's fingers tapped nervously as she waited for the phone to be answered. In a way, Laurel was grateful that she'd been with Oliver and Tommy. There were ties that she'd gained from both of them. It was because of Tommy that Laurel gave Oliver a second chance. It was almost losing Laurel that pushed Oliver to try and be a better man. Moira Queen was a woman who did not forget those who helped her family. So, she told Laurel that if Laurel needed to call, Moira's phone was always on. 

**_"Ms. Lance, lovely to be hearing from you. How has Star City been?"_** Moira asked. She'd been away for quite some time. It was hard for Moira to be in the city that had taken her son from her and nearly stolen her daughter as well. So, once Thea was on her feet and steady, Moira went off to live in one of their vacation homes. 

"I think it's about to get a little complicated. Have you heard the news about the Raatko employee that was arrested?" Laurel asked. 

**_"Of course I have dear, it's all the talk in the business world right now. I can only hope that Malcolm and Robert never did dealings with that despicable Ra's al Ghul,"_** Moira said. "Why do you ask?" 

"One of my close friends, Nyssa Raatko, she has a high position, but I don't think it's high enough to grant her real protection," Laurel said nervously. 

_**"You care for this girl, I can tell. You care for her like you cared for Tommy and Oliver. Of course I'd be happy to help you, hold onto this one though and don't you dare let go,"** _Moira said before she hung up the phone. 

* * *

"That was a stupid movie," Sara said as she held onto Ava's hand. "A really stupid movie." 

"The other one seemed too dark for a date," Ava said and Sara pecked her cheek. "Are you hungry or anything?" 

"I could go for a cup of coffee," Sara said and Ava nodded. They kept walking and eventually ended up at Ava's apartment. "I swear we passed like, three different coffee places on the way." 

"I have a state-of-the-art coffee machine," Ava said and Sara wasn't surprised. "It's ridiculous and I spent too much money on it, but it makes a damn good cup of coffee." 

"Well then, show the way. I've got a long shift ahead of me at the club," Sara said and Ava unlocked her door. They walked into Ava's kitchen and Sara watched as the tall blonde began their cups of coffee. "Were you a barista?" 

"All through college," Ava said and Sara nodded. "What did you do?" 

"I was a housewife and then I started bartending after my divorce went through," Sara said and Ava nodded. "Nyssa had me taking classes though, so I've got some certifications, but no degree. College and I weren't agreeable." 

"How old were you when you got married?" Ava asked. 

"18, Nyssa and I moved pretty fast," Sara said with a sigh. "That was my fault though, she'd never been with anybody and I wanted to have an adult relationship. So, we eloped and I let her get me pregnant. That was quite the process honestly." 

"What did your parents think?" Ava asked, hoping that she wasn't overstepping. "I know mine would freak out if I came home pregnant with a wife." 

"My dad wasn't happy when he found out, tried threatening her. My mom just sat her down and talked to her about plans if something happened to one of us or the baby. We got divorced a few months before Quinn's second birthday. By then, both of my parents had pretty much fallen for her, so she's family forever," Sara said and Ava nodded. "That means, if we make it to you meeting my family, you'll have to go through whatever tests she puts you through." 

"She's definitely intimidating," Ava said and Sara chuckled. "And I think you mean, when, not if." 

"Ambitious," Sara told Ava. 

"Always have been."

* * *

Moira had gotten on the first plane back to Star City that she could get herself on. Luckily, there was quite a bit of travel there because of the impending trial. So, Moira caught a flight the same day that she'd hung up on Laurel. Moira wasn't completely sure what she could do for Laurel and her friend, Nyssa, but she'd do something. When she stepped off the plane, there was a car waiting for her. She was taken straight to the Queen Mansion, where she ran into Thea. 

"Mom, you're back early," Thea said in surprise. Moira wasn't supposed to be back until a few days before Christmas. 

"Something came up. Go ahead, but be back in time for breakfast tomorrow," Moira said and Thea nodded. Once Thea was gone, Moira went inside and started to arrange help for Laurel and her friend.

* * *

"It's a school night, you need to go to bed," Nyssa tried arguing with Quinn. It was no use because Quinn wanted to stay up a little later. 

"I'm 7 now Mama," Quinn argued as if that made any difference. 

"No, you're six for another 4 hours," Nyssa told her. 

"Can I stay up please?" Quinn asked and Nyssa sighed. 

"What if Mia waked up all alone?" Laurel asked and Quinn sighed. 

"Then come upstairs and we can sleep on Mama's bed, it's huge!" Quinn exclaimed. Nyssa sighed and scooped her daughter up. She carried Quinn upstairs and Laurel followed them. They put on a movie until Quinn fell asleep and Laurel watched as Nyssa slipped out of her own bed. 

"You don't have to leave," Laurel said and Nyssa turned around. "It's your bed." 

"It's fine Laurel," Nyssa said and Laurel followed Nyssa out of her bedroom. "So, how bad do you think it'll be when it hits me?" 

"Hopefully it never does," Laurel said and Nyssa sighed. "You haven't done anything wrong Nyssa, not yet anyways. You need to relax and stay away from glasses." 

"She told you?" Nyssa asked and Laurel nodded. "I suppose it would have come out anyways." 

"Yeah, that bandage is an eyesore," Laurel joked as she grabbed Nyssa's hand. The two of them sat back against the couch and began to talk to each other. Neither of them noticed that Quinn stood at the top of the stairs, staring at the two of them. If Quinn had been able to pick out the way that Ava and Sara looked at each other, figuring out that Laurel liked Nyssa was no problem. But the look in Nyssa's eyes was one of a stronger feeling, it was like in the princess movies when the prince and the princess found each other and got married. Quinn quietly scurried off back to bed and debated waking up Mia to tell her what she'd figured out.


	13. Chapter 13

"Alright, your gourmet meal is served," Sara said as she set a plate of spaghetti in front of Quinn. "Lance secret family recipe." 

"Like what Gramma made you?" Quinn asked and Sara nodded. "Do we have the twisty bread?" 

"Of course, slightly freezer burnt like it's supposed to be." Sara set the bread down and then sat down across from her daughter. "Is this what you wanted for your birthday dinner?" 

"It's nice. I wish that Mama would do things like this for herself," Quinn said with a sad sigh. 

"Tell her that you want dinners like this. I'm sure that would make her very happy," Sara told her daughter. "It isn't that Nyssa doesn't want to do nice things, it's just that she takes a little push sometimes. Trust me, she's the smartest woman you'll ever meet, but sometimes she's as dumb as me." 

"You aren't dumb. Mama says that you just don't apply yourself." Sara rolled her eyes internally, not surprised that Nyssa had talks about the importance of applying oneself with Quinn. Sara knew she should have been saying stuff like that as well, but she didn't know what to say. Laurel had always been the one who wanted to go the extra mile, Sara was normally content to be along for the ride. "And I think that it'd make Mama happier if Laurel was the one eating dinner with her." 

"Laurel, huh?" Sara asked and Quinn nodded vigorously. "And what makes you say that?" 

"Mama looks at Laurel like the princes look at the princesses," Quinn explained. "It's true love. They just have to kiss and make it so." 

"Maybe you and Mia can help them figure that out," Sara suggested. Quinn's eyes brightened at the thought of getting to help her Mama find her true love. Quinn knew that Sara and Nyssa loved each other, but their love wasn't the same as in the storybooks. "But first, you need to eat before it gets cold." 

"Will you help us?" Quinn asked and Sara sighed. 

"Will you finish dinner so I can get you ready for bed?" Sara asked. Quinn debated it mentally before agreeing, deciding that an early bedtime at Sara's for one night was worth helping Nyssa and Laurel. 

* * *

The call had been ominous and Nyssa was skeptical at first. However, she had still gone up to the top floor and sat in the board's meeting room. Nyssa had never been in on a board meeting before. She noticed that the chairs were much nicer and more comfortable than the ones she'd gotten used to. Everything about the top floor was nicer than the ones below it, including the staff. Nyssa liked her own secretary and the people on her level that helped her to run things smoothly, but up here, an effort was made to make sure that Nyssa actually felt respected. 

"Ms. Raatko, thank you for joining me." Nyssa's recognized the man standing in front of her as Warren. He was an American, one of the first brought in whenever her grandfather, Nikolaos, expanded the company to America. He had aged a lot more than Nyssa had expected in the years since she'd last met with him, no doubt in part to the impending investigation on the company. "Nick sends his regards." 

"Nick?" Nyssa tried it out on her tongue, but decided it did not fit. "I was not aware he had taken up an American nickname." 

"Not all of his associates felt comfortable before," Warren told her. She rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair a bit. "But we aren't here to discuss nicknames. How do you like this floor?" 

"It is nice," Nyssa answered. "There is a more respectable feeling to it." 

"Good, that office over there, take it. Congratulations, you are now head of the Star City branch and if the board approves, you could find yourself at the head of our American charge," Warren told her. Nyssa stood up to shake his hand and then watched him leave. It was unexpected to say the least, but she wasn't going to question it. An arrest being made and Warren flying into Star City within a couple of weeks had to mean something. There had been some sort of exchange of power towards the top, one that Nyssa was not prepared to argue against just yet.

* * *

"Ms. Queen, are you aware of who I am?" Talia asked as she stood outside of Thea's club. 

"I am not, but something tells me that you're not from around here," Thea said as she unlocked the front door. Thea opened the door and then stepped aside to let Talia in. Talia stepped inside and then looked around the empty club. "Mind telling me who you are? It's only fair since you know who I am." 

"I am Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul, a good friend of your father's. I believe that relationship opens a unique position for the two of us," Talia said and Thea scoffed. "Trust me, there are far worse people that could be coming to you for similar chats." 

"That might be true, but I don't want anything to do with you. I'm not interested in doing business with anybody in your family," Thea told Talia sternly. "No offense." 

"If you come to your senses, give me a call. This is already a fine establishment, but you could always do better Ms. Queen." Talia turned on her heels and walked out of the club. Thea stood there for a moment, staring at the card sitting on her bar. Thea wasn't sure how long she had been standing there, but once she heard a knocking on the door, she grabbed the card and shoved it into her pocket. Thea took a moment to compose herself before she walked over to the door to answer it. 

"We're not open." Thea tried to shut the door, but the man on the other side stuck his foot in. He grimaced and Thea opened the door again. "Jesus Roy, how stupid are you?" 

"Pretty dumb to come back here," Roy said with a smile. "Can I get some ice?" 

"Fine," Thea said and Roy thanked her. "What are you doing here?" 

"I came to visit you. Just wanted to stop by and say hi and that I'm sorry. I don't expect us to get back together, but I'm moving back to Star City," Roy told her. 

"Good for you." Thea handed him an ice pack. 

"I've got a job for a security place in the Glades. It's legitimate this time, vetted and everything," Roy said proudly. Thea was genuinely happy for him to have a legitimate job that wasn't borderline illegal. "Would be okay if I came to get a drink after work here once a week or so?" 

"Roy, it's a free country, I don't care where you drink," Thea told him. 

"I know, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't overstepping by coming here. Things weren't great when we broke it off." Roy glanced down at the floor and then back up to Thea. "So, thank you for not punching me or anything." 

"I kinda shut a door on your foot," Thea said with a tilt of her head. 

"I kinda put my foot in the door on purpose," Roy told her, mirroring her head tilt.

* * *

"What the...?" Nyssa muttered to herself as she noticed lights on inside of her house. Quinn was staying at Sara's for the rest of the week and both Laurel and Felicity were at their houses, so none of them were inside of Nyssa's house. Warren was in town, but he didn't have a key or the security codes to get inside of her house. Talia didn't even know where she lived yet, and so Nyssa presumed that she'd walk inside of her house to find her mother waiting for her. Nyssa parked her car in the garage and then let herself in to find her mother sitting at a set table. 

"You are late for dinner," Ameena told her daughter. "Dinner is at 6:30, you know that. Where is my granddaughter?" 

"Quinn is at Sara's apartment for the night. Before you say it, yes, I am aware that an apartment isn't any place to raise a little girl," Nyssa said as she poured herself a glass of vodka. "I see you brought a gift from home." 

"I thought it would be easier to break the news with a drink," Ameena said somberly. Nyssa took a seat where her mother had a plate set. "Nikolaos is dead. He died on his way to Gotham." 

"Was it natural or do I need to fear for my life?" Nyssa asked. 

"It was natural, I was with him," Ameena said and Nyssa nodded. "He... he had been sick for awhile. I am sorry that we did not tell you earlier." 

"He would not have wanted me to know in the first place. It would have distracted me from my work," Nyssa said coldly. Ameena pushed the glass away from her daughter and offered her hand. "I am okay. This just means there is more work to be done." 

"I have taken over as the head of the company. I inherited his shares, and along with mine, they give me control of the board." Nyssa knew that her mother wasn't planning on staying head of the company. There was a lot her mother could do, but she had no desire to run her father's company. "Would Sara mind if Quinn spent a day with us here? Sara may join us if she wishes to." 

"I'll talk to her in the morning," Nyssa promised her mother. Ameena gave her daughter a curt nod and then pushed the now cold plate of food towards her daughter. 

"Now eat if you expect to get this glass back anytime tonight. We do not drink on an empty stomach."


	14. Chapter 14

"Dear god that was a terrible idea," Laurel said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. At the insistence of Dinah, all of the girls stayed under one roof. Instead of taking advantage of Laurel and Felicity's empty home, they stayed the night at Sara's. It was also the one night that Quinn decided to sleep in her own room. If Laurel hadn't been there, Sara probably would have taken the couch and let her mom take the bed, but it didn't seem fair for Laurel to get Sara's bed when Sara was stuck on the couch. And so, Sara learned her bed was definitely not big enough for three adult women to sleep in comfortably. "I would have been better off coming over in the morning." 

"You have a point," Sara said and Laurel shoved her. "You talk in your sleep by the way. It reminds me of Nyssa, must be that stick." 

"What stick?" Laurel asked. 

"Sara, no," Dinah told her younger daughter. There was no point because Sara was set on saying it. 

"The one stuck up your asses," Sara said with a smirk. Laurel punched her and it nearly devolved into an actual fight, but Dinah stopped it. She sent both girls out of the kitchen and told them to wait in the living room with Quinn for breakfast. 

"Why can't we open presents?" Quinn asked with a small pout. 

"It's a rule, nobody can open presents until the beasts get breakfast and coffee," Sara said, glancing at Laurel and then back towards the kitchen where Dinah was. "It's a terrible rule and aren't you so glad that I'm not like that?" 

"Yeah," Quinn said and Sara handed her a small box. 

"Mom's gonna beat your ass," Laurel said in a sing-song voice. 

"Do you think if I'm lucky she'll take the stick out of your ass and use it?" Sara asked and Laurel scowled at her. "Probably not, I doubt she could get it out." 

"You shouldn't say mean words like that to each other," Quinn said and Sara scoffed. 

"She started it." Sara crossed her arms over her chest and nudged Quinn with her elbow. "Open it, it's special." 

"Okay, but I'm not getting in trouble for you," Quinn said as she ripped open the paper. She opened the small box to see a dog collar. Immediately, Quinn shot up to her feet and excitedly ran into the kitchen to show Dinah. "Mom got me a dog. See, I got the collar." 

"Wow, that is quite the present," Dinah said, looking past Quinn at her daughters. Laurel glanced at Sara and laughed at the pure fear on her face. "Have you opened any other presents?" 

"Not yet," Quinn said and Dinah nodded. 

"Why don't you help me with breakfast?" Dinah asked and Quinn excitedly did that. It was finished up a bit quicker and by the time they could open presents, Nyssa had snuck in with the puppy. Quinn had gotten maybe three presents open when she heard the excited pitter patter of paws on hardwood floors. 

"How did you get a puppy in here without anybody noticing?" Laurel asked and Sara shrugged. 

"Christmas magic," Sara told her sister. 

"For the sake of our child, I will let that one slide," Nyssa said as she hopped over the back of the couch. 

"You do realize I have a front door right?" Sara asked and Nyssa nodded. 

"And on most occasions, I intend on using it. However, I thought it would be better if I snuck in through the window instead," Nyssa said and both Sara and Laurel looked confused. "Bedroom, near the fire escape." 

"Quinn, look who's here," Sara said and Quinn looked up to see Nyssa sitting on the couch. For a moment, she looked confused, as if she was trying to figure out whether or not Nyssa had been there the entire morning. 

"Where's Baba?" Quinn asked Nyssa. "Isn't she coming too?" 

"Baba is starting on dinner. I have to go for a little while, I'll see you later tonight okay?" Nyssa stood up and crouched down in front of Quinn. 

"Where are you going? It's Christmas," Quinn said, confused. "You don't work on Christmas Mama." 

"I know that, but I'm not working. I have to see someone so they're not alone. Can you watch over the puppy here for a bit?" Nyssa asked and Quinn nodded excitedly. "Merry Christmas."

* * *

"Why do you smell like that?" Talia asked as she sat across from Nyssa. It was a scent that Talia vaguely recognized. The scent of a new puppy. Talia remembered it from the trip to the animal shelter that she had taken with her son. In Europe, they had exotic animals that the young boy loved spending his time around. In America, in Gotham, he had a couple of dogs at his father's house. "Why do you smell like a puppy?" 

"Because I had to drop off a gift before I came here," Nyssa said shortly. It was still a bit awkward between them and Nyssa always got defensive whenever Talia asked about her family. Nyssa was protective over her daughter, which Talia understood, she hadn't let Nyssa know about Damian, but maybe she should have, as a show of good intentions. 

"I have a child too. His name is Damian, he is a teenager now. He spends time at his father's, but his summers are spent with me," Talia said and Nyssa nodded. "I have a picture, on my phone." 

"I didn't know that," Nyssa said and Talia nodded. She slid her phone over to Nyssa with the picture up. "Is that Bruce Wayne?" 

"The father," Talia said quietly. "He is a good man. A pain in my ass sometimes, but he takes good care of our son. There isn't a day that I don't get to speak to my son. If you'd care to take a trip to Gotham, I am sure that Damian would like you. The two of you are very alike in a lot of ways, he takes solace in his books and caring for others like you did." 

"Perhaps." 

* * *

"Uncle Johnny!" Mia ran up to the large man and wrapped her arms around him. He scooped her up and carried her inside to where Sara and JJ were waiting. The two older kids were playing a game together, a new video game that Lyla had bought technically for her husband. John set her down next to Sara, knowing that his daughter was a bit better at explaining things to Mia than JJ was. "What are you playing?" 

"It's football," Sara said. Mia asked some questions and then Sara let her have a turn against JJ. Surprisingly, Mia had taken to the game much better than anybody had expected. 

"Can I get you a something to drink?" Lyla asked Felicity. 

"Oh, no thank you. I'm sorry we were late, Mia was waiting for Thea to call," Felicity said and Lyla nodded in understanding. 

"Did she?" John asked. Mia was a lot like Oliver in that she could hide whatever was bothering her until it began to bother other people, namely Felicity. John had seen the small child do stupid things to try and hide something from her mother. 

"She did. We are actually going to Queen Manor after this. Thea has something to show Mia and apparently something for me as well," Felicity said and John smiled at that. "It's nice to see her." 

"Good for the two of you for being there for each other," Lyla said as she handed John a cup of coffee. The adults talked a bit longer until Mia's watch beeped and she ran over to Felicity. 

"We have to go. Thea said 1 o'clock and there's only 20 minutes until 1, but it's a 15 minute drive," Mia said and Felicity sighed as she got up. "Bye Uncle Johnny." 

"Bye kiddo," John said as he picked Mia up once again. He let her hand off of his arm for a minute like a monkey and then set her down. Mia ran over to hug Lyla before JJ walked her out to the car with Felicity. Mia buckled herself up and was practically bouncing the entire ride over to Queen Manor. 

"Do you think I could be rich?" Mia asked as she stared at the house from the road. "Thea said that this is my house too." 

"It's Moira's house, but eventually I think it'll be yours," Felicity said. She remembered going through Oliver's will and making sure that Mia was taken care of. There had been a lot of things that could have helped Felicity, but she had to think about the future. The car came to a stop in the driveway and Mia unbuckled herself and ran straight to Thea. Felicity was a bit hesitant to get out of the car, but when she saw Thea watching her, she pulled herself together. "Hi." 

"Hi," Felicity said and Mia tugged on Thea's sweater. "She's been so excited since you called." 

"There's someone inside who really wants to meet you," Thea said and Mia nodded. "In the living room." 

"Got it," Mia said as she ran inside. Thea and Felicity stood outside for a moment together before Thea stepped aside to let Felicity in. 

"I thought you hated Christmas," Thea said and Felicity rolled her eyes. 

"I hated the fact that your brother put up a 12-foot Christmas tree in my apartment with a 10 foot ceiling," Felicity corrected. "Christmas has always been complicated. My mom loved every holiday because it was a celebration. It was always empty for me, but knowing how much it meant to Oliver. It's something special I can do for him with her." 

"Well, come on, my mom has a present for you," Thea said and Felicity followed the other woman inside. Felicity looked around the room, noticing that the décor was much more formal than it ever had been when Oliver was there to help. Still, it was nice and reminded Felicity of the Christmas that she had gotten to spend with Oliver before he died. 

Felicity was content with listening to Moira tell Mia stories about how Christmases had been before Oliver died. Thea would occasionally chime in with a correction or a comment in defense of herself. It wasn't until the end of their afternoon together that Moira had disappeared for a moment and come down with a box that had Felicity's name on it. "Open it when you get home dear," Moira had told her before sending them on their way home. Thea let them go with a promise of letting Mia help decorate the next year and Mia made Thea promise that she would bring Moira to the New Years Party at Felicity's. 

* * *

Ava wasn't sure what to expect when she got the text from Sara to meet her in the parking lot. Ava knew that Sara knew where Ava's apartment was. Ava also knew that Sara was headed over to her ex wife's to spend the night with her daughter and the new puppy. Sara had taken tons of pictures and sent all of them to Ava. It had made Ava feel welcome and wanted, something that she'd been missing for a long time. Ava missed the feeling of being a part of something, but she was glad that she'd made the decision to move to Star City. 

"Hi," Sara said, grabbing Ava's attention. "Over here." 

"Hello," Ava said and Sara pulled her in for a kiss. Ava kissed her back, but jumped back when she felt something lick her leg. "And who is this?" 

"Calisto," Sara said and Ava picked up the puppy. "Nyssa can be very convincing when it comes to bribing our child." 

"Quinn let you take the puppy and not her?" Ava asked and Sara shook her head. 

"Nyssa and her mom picked Quinn up so they could eat dinner. I'm taking Calisto on a walk before we go over there so Nyssa's furniture doesn't get peed on," Sara said and Ava nodded. "So, um, Merry Christmas." 

"Merry Christmas," Ava said and Sara pecked her cheek. "Are we at gifts or not?" 

"I don't think so," Sara said and Ava nodded. "I just wanted to see you and maybe kiss you a little bit before you went to California." 

"I'm glad you did," Ava told her. "When I get back, you should come over for dinner or something. I'm actually not a bad cook." 

"I've got high standards," Sara said and Ava nodded. "But I'll give you a chance I guess." 

"So generous."

* * *

Laurel wasn't sure what to do when she got home. Christmas was hard for Felicity, it had been Oliver's favorite holiday and it seemed to be one of Mia's as well. This Christmas had come with an invitation to see Moira and Thea. All of the holidays had that invitation now that Thea was back in Star City and knew about Mia. That would make things harder, especially since Moira was never not in Star City on Christmas Day. So, Felicity had to have seen Moira and judging by the handwriting on the old box sitting on their coffee table, she had given something to Felicity. 

"How did Moira's go?" Laurel asked carefully. Felicity looked up from the sweatshirt she was holding and directly at Laurel. Laurel could see her eyes were red from crying and this wasn't a conversation that Laurel was prepared to have, but she'd do it. "What's that?" 

"Ollie's sweatshirt," Felicity said shakily. Felicity moved to pull other things out from the box, most of them Oliver's. There were a few things that were Tommy's, Laurel recognized them, but she didn't say anything. "It's all Oliver's. Moira thought I'd want it or that I'd know what to do with it." 

"You do, keep it. You can show Mia things that belonged to him and people important to him," Laurel said and Felicity paused. 

"What do you mean?" Felicity asked and Laurel picked up the three things in the box that were Tommy's. The first was a lacrosse jersey with Merlyn on the back of it. The second was a hoodie that Laurel had left over there after the funeral services. The third was a Star City University sweatshirt that he had bought whenever him and Oliver dropped out of college. 

"These are Tommy's, I can still smell that stupid cologne on them," Laurel said with a sad laugh. "You can keep them though. I've moved on from that period of my life, it's not good for me to keep reminders for no reason." 

"You loved him, that's reason enough," Felicity told her. "That's more than a good enough reason." 

"If I hold onto that fleeting feeling of loving him, I can't love someone else," Laurel said and Felicity nodded. She knew what Laurel meant, how difficult it was to move on when you had a reminder of the love that had been taken away. "I'm not really tired if you need to talk." 

"Do you need to talk?" Felicity asked Laurel. "Is there someone you want to love?" 

"Maybe, but I'm not ready yet."


	15. Chapter 15

Sara was, impressed to say the least. Ava had come into the bar around 11:30 and managed to stay awake and mostly sober until closing. Thea let Sara go home after a couple of the bouncers managed to start a drinking competition with Ava. Sara was grateful that Thea had put a stop to things before Ava got too rowdy. Ava had come to the bar so that Sara could have a New Years kiss, but stayed because her ride had left with someone and Sara had flirted that maybe they'd do more than kiss after her shift. Ava just hadn't expected Sara's shift to go so long. 

"The sun is up," Ava said as she stumbled along next to Sara. "Are you gonna stay over?" 

"Maybe, just to make sure you get to bed alright," Sara said and Ava chuckled. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to the woman keeping my kid in line at school." 

"She's a good kid Sara. I'm sure you were too, there just wasn't anybody who paid enough attention to notice," Ava said as she fell back against Sara's car. Sara smiled and opened the backseat door for Ava. Ava climbed in and laid down. Sara wasn't even out of the parking lot before Ava fell asleep. Sara was glad that she was a lot stronger than she looked because Ava Sharpe was a heavy sleeper when she drank. 

"Here we go," Sara said as she used Ava's keys to unlock her front door. Sara took Ava back to her bedroom and laid her down there. Ava seemed to have predicted that she'd be out drinking because Sara found a bottle of pain killers and some water already setting out. Sara laid down on Ava's couch and quickly fell asleep herself, more than exhausted from her shift. 

* * *

"She should have been here to pick me up by now," Quinn said, obviously upset. Whenever Sara promised her New Years Day, Quinn expected that to start whenever she woke up. Nyssa knew that it would probably be around noon before Sara woke up, especially after the text Laurel had got from Thea about Sara being there around close. Nyssa had picked Sara up from the bar before when she helped close and it was normally around dawn when she made it home. "Call her." 

"No, she closed at the bar, we're letting Sara sleep," Nyssa told Quinn. Quinn pouted and sulked until Nyssa agreed to text Sara. Luckily for Nyssa, soon after the text, Ameena was there to provide a distraction. Quinn was nowhere close to fluently speaking Russian, but she did enjoy the lessons. They also tended to go over a lot smoother whenever Mia joined in on them and was able to help Quinn with some of it. 

"You look like you could have used a drink last night," Laurel said as she sat down next to Nyssa. "You do realize that you didn't have to skip out on fun because of me."

"I thought it wasn't helpful to speak of alcohol as a means of fun," Nyssa pointed out and Laurel rolled her eyes. "No, I should have not just drank that acid my mother always drags out for New Years. My liver is still screaming at me for the full shot." 

"A whole shot. Wow, let me give you the name of my sponsor," Laurel said and Nyssa shoved her shoulder playfully. "Seriously, you could have had a beer or something." 

"I could have, but I didn't need it. I also could have tricked the girls into sleeping earlier," Nyssa said and Laurel nodded. "But I did not because they made the decision to stay up late." 

"You hoped they'd be tired, don't lie." Laurel gave Nyssa a look and the taller woman just shifted in her seat. "What are they doing over there?" 

"My mother teaches the girls Russian when she visits. Your mother brings a book or a story about some historical figure, mine makes it harder for me to swear in front of the children."

* * *

Ava woke up to a headache and her clothes from last night still on her body. She made it back to her apartment, but Sara was nowhere to be found. Ava didn't remember anything past the two large men pouring her shot after shot until more alcohol made it onto the floor than their glasses. Ava went to brush her teeth, change into something that felt less stiff, and then trudged into her kitchen. The pills and water she'd left herself were still on the counter and Ava thanked herself as she took them. 

"Ava?" Sara called out and Ava walked into the living room. "Hey, I was gonna go. I promised Quinn today was her today, I just didn't want to leave without saying bye." 

"Oh, um, okay. You go, be with your daughter. I'll call later," Ava said and Sara smiled. "I'll see you later." 

"When school starts up. Nyssa's letting me keep Quinn for the next week. It's very stressful, this only happens in the summer," Sara said, excitedly. Ava let her go and then laid down on her couch and turned on a movie so it wasn't silent. Ava pulled the blanket up to cover her head and she let the subtle scent of Sara's perfume envelope her as she laid there.


	16. Chapter 16

Nyssa was going to murder Talia. Talia was going to get murdered and she knew it. She was overstepping into Nyssa's personal life by coming and seeing Sara and Quinn. However, it was sort of killing Talia, not knowing them both personally. Somewhere, Talia's attempts at protecting Nyssa were lost in translation and Nyssa kept shutting her out. If Talia wanted to make real progress, she'd just have to take matters into her own hands. Talia was prepared to face Sara and maybe Nyssa, but she wasn't prepared for Sara's door to open so soon. 

"Um, is there a reason you're standing outside of my door looking like that?" Sara asked. Her arms were crossed over her chest and Talia could see that Sara definitely was into fitness. It wouldn't have surprised her to learn that Nyssa had taught her the basics of self-defense. "Do you need something?" 

"Hello, my name is Talia. I do not necessarily believe that this meeting was approved, but I was curious as to meet the woman who broke my sister," Talia said and Sara clenched her jaw. 

"I didn't break Nyssa's heart, she did that to herself," Sara said. Talia wasn't sure whether or not she was surprised to learn this woman wasn't taking responsibility. However, Talia didn't doubt that Nyssa hadn't forgotten to prioritize her family over her career. 

"Mom, who's there?" Quinn pushed her way past Sara to see Talia. "You look like my Mama sort of. You're pretty." 

"Thank you, I am Talia. Your aunt," Talia introduced herself. "It is very nice to meet you." 

"I'm Quinn." Talia shook the tiny hand that was extended towards her. "Are you gonna be nice to my Mama now?" 

"I will definitely try to be, I promise," Talia promised the little girl. Quinn pulled Talia towards her a bit and tried her hardest to be intimidating as she gave Talia a warning. 

"You better be, she is angry, but soft."

* * *

"Thank you for coming over," Felicity said as she rushed to get her things ready. It had been called in as an emergency and that meant Felicity had to be there. Well, technically she didn't need to be, but it seemed that nobody could get ahold of a competent IT team member, so she got several calls. Laurel had went on a run and said she was going straight to the office, Sara was busy with Quinn all day, and her mother had a date, so Felicity called Nyssa. 

"It's no problem. I needed to make myself scarce at home for a bit. It seems that my mother is either always at my house or in my office," Nyssa said as she ran a hand through her hair. Felicity could see that her friend was stressed. Friend, it felt weird to think of Nyssa that way, but there wasn't anything else Felicity could see her as. Technically, Nyssa was the ex-wife of her ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend and potential new girlfriend to said ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's sister who was also one of her ex boyfriend's ex-girlfriends. But Felicity thought that was way too complicated, so she settled for seeing Nyssa as a friend. 

"Moms are like that. I just got mine out of my house," Felicity said with an exasperated chuckle. 

"What's the secret?" Nyssa jokingly asked. There was a moment of silence between the two of them before Felicity rushed away to work and Nyssa went to check on Mia. 

"Did Quinn come with you?" Mia asked. 

"I'm sorry, she's with Sara all day today. Maybe later we can go see them," Nyssa offered. It was a shock whenever Mia shook her head. Nyssa and Mia weren't the closest, but Nyssa understood. Mia and Quinn were best friends, Laurel lived with her, and she was certain that almost every single weekend the girls spent at least one day together. Nyssa would drop Quinn off here and let Mia stay if Felicity had to go in early and Laurel had worked late, but Nyssa realized that she hadn't really spent a lot of time around Mia, just one-on-one. "It's okay, I know that Sara's the fun one." 

"Sara can't help me with this," Mia said and Nyssa watched as the little girl got a red heart-shaped piece of paper. "It's for Laurel." 

"Valentine's Day is a little ways away," Nyssa said and Mia nodded. "What do you need me for?" 

"I need you to give it to her on a date." 

"A date?" Nyssa was taken aback by the request. "Why do you think that Laurel would want to go on a date with me?" 

"Because when my mommy asks her questions about her day, she talks about you first. She calls you after dinner pretty much every single night and when you call her, she smiles like in the movies. I think she loves you and if she doesn't, then she wants to," Mia told Nyssa. "So, you should give her this heart on Valentine's Day because it would make her happy and she has a hard time being happy sometimes. Will you help me?" 

"Of course I will, everybody deserves a chance to be happy, but especially Laurel." 

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as Laurel arrived at her father's grave. There had once been a time when she probably would have thought about bringing a bottle of alcohol with her. It would have been scotch because that was his favorite, but she always thought about the anger and disappointment she'd have been met with if she slipped. Laurel prided herself on being strong, she really did, so she couldn't slip up. She had an example to set about willpower and strength and she was going to set the hell out of it. 

"Hi daddy," Laurel said as she sat down against the headstone. She had a long day, which wasn't the best start of her first work day of the year. "I've had a busy day and it didn't even feel all that productive. Everybody is doing good though, but I don't know how long that'll last. Nyssa's mom is staying with her for a bit, until her business with Star City is finished. It's driving Nyssa up the wall a bit, no escaping her I guess." 

A cold gust of wind blew past Laurel and she shivered. Still, she sat and talked all about her day to her father. It was comforting and she imagines what some of his responses would have been. There would have been a comment about crime never taking a day in Star City when she told him all about the different cases presented to her. He would have grunted at several things she said, not sure whether or not she was happy about them or not. When it came to a Lance woman's ramblings, Quentin knew better than to interrupt with a thought. 

"...Sara's stubborn, like you were. She texts me sometimes to ask how Nyssa's doing. I know that she isn't genuinely curious because Nyssa says that Sara asks her the same questions about me. Worse though is that she's got mom in on it too. I argue for a living, but there's really no winning with the two of them. I guess it wouldn't be the most far fetched thing, me and Nyssa. She's attractive, great with kids, and we get along. Mom already loves her, you liked her, despite everything, an she'd take care of more than just me. I don't know if she'd want more kids, but I wouldn't be opposed to having a baby with her or something," Laurel rambled. She stopped to take a breath and that was when she realized what she'd essentially just admitted. "I like Nyssa. I want to be with Nyssa. Thanks daddy, I'll see you next week."

* * *

"That was terrible," Sara said as she followed Ava into Ava's apartment. "I'm so sorry." 

"It's fine. If I am being completely honest, it was a lot easier to not pay attention to that movie because it was so bad," Ava admitted. "You can stay over if you'd like." 

"I definitely would," Sara told her. "Maybe we could try sleeping in the same bed this time?" 

"I was hoping for more than just sleeping in the same bed, but if that's all you wanna do..." Ava trailed off and Sara smirked at her. 

"It's not rushing is it?" Sara asked and Ava shook her head. "Good because I've rushed before and I don't wanna rush you or this relationship. I want us to take our time, get to know each other, and then figure out what we are gonna do to stay happy." 

"I'm a little surprised if I'm honest with you. Because from the way that you kept touching me in the theater, this is exactly what you wanted." Ava leaned down, but kept her lips a couple inches from Sara's. 

"I was younger and less mature. Also, being bored out of your mind tends to do that to a girl," Sara said with a tilt of her head. Ava backed away from Sara and Sara followed her to the hallway. Ava put her hand on the doorknob of her bedroom door and took a deep breath. "We really don't have to do anything if you don't feel like it." 

"I want this Sara. I was going to tell you the same thing," Ava said and Sara pulled the taller woman in for a kiss. Ava kissed her back and pushed the door open. Both of them went back into Ava's bedroom. Ava moved away from Sara to turn on the light and Sara looked around the room. 

"Pristine." Sara smirked as she turned back to Ava. "I feel like I need to fold my clothes after I take them off." 

"Fuck that," Ava said and Sara was taken back a bit by the sudden swearing. "Throw your clothes on the floor, it's about time that my room gets a little messy." 

Sara smiled up at Ava and Ava leaned down to kiss her. Sara made the first move and flung her jacket off of her shoulders. Ava followed suit and pulled her hoodie off, tossing it behind her to land on the edge of the bed. Sara pulled Ava in for a kiss and moved her hands to Ava's shirt. The blouse was much more casual than what Ava would have worn to work, but Sara had made her wear a hoodie into the theater so that Ava was a bit more dressed down. Once Sara got the last button undone, Ava pushed the shirt off of her shoulders and let it fall onto the ground. 

Sara landed back against the bed with a soft thud and Ava landed right on top of her. Ava's fingers fumbled a little with the buttons on Sara's jeans. Sara let her hands wander up Ava's back until her arms were wrapped around the taller blonde. Ava's hands moved up from the waistband of Sara's jeans and pushed the thin, grey shirt up Sara's torso. Sara sat up and pulled her shirt off as Ava's head dropped down to press kisses on Sara's abdomen. Sara moved her hands into Ava's hair and kept them there as Ava continued. Ava paused for a moment to ask Sara if it was okay that she removed her pants and Sara gave her the go-ahead. 

Ava let her hands rest on Sara's thighs, feeling the muscle tense under her touch. Sara told Ava to keep going and Ava was more than happy to listen. Ava had thought a lot about this moment and it wasn't what she had thought it was going to be. Sara's body was much more defined than she had assumed it was going to, but Sara was softer than what Ava had been led to believe. There were teachers who knew Sara, ones who had talked about the nurse she's slept with or the supposed past boyfriends that the girl had as a teenager. Ava understood a misspent youth as much as the next person, but from how people had spoken about the younger Lance sister, Ava hadn't been sure that they'd make it to that moment. And yet, here they were because Sara had held out and tried her best to make Ava happy and earn some trust. 

"Oh my god Ava," Sara moaned as Ava pushed two fingers inside of Sara. Sara's head fell back when Ava's tongue focused in on her clit. The light, teasing licks from before turned into stronger, more precise strokes of the tongue. Sara hadn't been taken care of like that in longer than she cared to remember and Ava was doing more than a good job. Sara wasn't just receiving pleasure, she was comfortable and there wasn't any stress about how she should be acting. "Oh my god, I think I'm gonna cum." 

Sara came, not as hard as she had in the past, but for her first time with someone, it was pretty good. Ava moved herself out from in between Sara's thighs and shimmied out of her pants before she settled back on the bed next to Sara. There was no rush for Sara to get onto things. Ava was more than content with holding Sara for the rest of the night, but the night was young and Sara wanted to make sure that Ava didn't get the wrong idea about her. So, Sara sat up and straddled Ava's lap. 

"Hi," Ava said. Mentally, Ava would slap herself for that one when Sara left, but she left it acknowledged in the moment. Sara secretly thought it was cute, Ava was obviously a bit nervous, which meant that Ava liked Sara. Sara smiled to herself as she pressed a kiss on Ava's neck. Wherever Sara's lips went, as did a blush on Ava's skin. Sara let her hands roam a little before she settled on Ava's thighs. 

"Are you ready?" Sara asked and Ava nodded. "Can you tell me that you're ready?" 

"I'm ready. I want this, I want you," Ava told Sara. Sara nodded, pecked Ava's lips, and then slid her hand in between Ava's legs. Sara teased Ava, rubbing around her entrance and then trailing up to rub Ava's clit. Ava was quiet, biting her lip to keep herself quiet as Sara's light touching became firmer. Sara kept adding a little more pressure until she had Ava crying out. Sara kept that amount of pressure as she rubbed Ava's clit and fingered her. It didn't take more than a few minutes for Ava to reach her climax, shaking beneath Sara's body. Even after Sara was off of Ava's lap, Ava's body shook subtly. 

"It's okay, I've got you," Sara said as she held Ava in her arms. Ava slowly began to still and once she was, Sara let go, hoping she hadn't overstepped. 

"You know, I'm not normally the little spoon," Ava said as she stared at Sara. "It'll take time to get used to, but I'm not opposed to cuddling." 

"I'm not saying that you should hold me, but I'm not saying you shouldn't either."


	17. Chapter 17

Nyssa was not an impulsive person. Especially not when it came to her company. However, after going through the records that her grandfather had stored on the top floor in a room that wasn't even on the building plans, Nyssa was in an impulsive mood. She'd called Sara to ask if she could keep Quinn for an indefinite amount of time and then sent out an email to every single journalist that she trusted. It wasn't really an overly long list, but she knew that the information was in good hands. This would more than likely run the company into the ground and completely tarnish Nyssa's reputation, but there was more than enough money in her accounts to hold her over if she didn't end up in jail or dead. 

"Mama, I did something," Nyssa said as she walked down to the café on the first floor where her mother spent a lot of her time. Ameena didn't care about running the company, but she wanted to make sure that Nyssa got in and out of the office at reasonable times. Besides, she was more than slightly amused by how easily her daughter became stressed when Ameena was working alongside her. 

"You've done a lot of things Nyssa. Be more specific," Ameena told her daughter. Nyssa leaned in close towards her mother and explained what she had done in Russian. There weren't a lot of people in the building that actually could understand the foreign language, so Nyssa knew it was safe. "Hopefully you are overreacting." 

"I doubt it. Those names were not ones of people who will go down without pulling me with them," Nyssa said and Ameena hung her head. "If you go back to Russia, please make sure that Sara and Quinn are in good spirits beforehand." 

"Don't sound so grim," Ameena told her daughter. "It is not the end of the world. You are not dying so young." 

* * *

"Why am I staying here? It's Wednesday," Quinn asked Sara. 

"Nyssa wanted us to spend some more time together during the week. That's okay, right?" Quinn paused for a moment to think before she hugged her mother tightly. 

"Of course it is. Do you think I could get a whole week here?" Quinn asked. Sara knew that it was a possibility that Quinn would spend more than a week at Sara's. Sara wasn't really sure what she'd do if that was the case, she still had to work the bar because that was her source of income and Mick was a bit farther than a call away. If she was late on her rent bill more than a couple times, Sara was sure that there would be a nice little eviction notice on her front door. 

"I bet you could, but you'd have to stay at Felicity's a couple times a week while I worked," Sara said and Quinn was beaming at the thought of that. "Enough questions outta you. Do you have homework?" 

"Yeah, I do. I have a math paper and something about photo synapses," Quinn said as she set her backpack down by the couch. "That's about plants and the sun." 

"Photosynthesis," Sara corrected under her breath. Sara let Quinn use the dining room table to do her homework while Sara worked on dinner. Cooking wasn't necessarily Sara's strong suit, but she wasn't the absolute worst with it. After dinner, Sara let Quinn resume doing her work before watching a movie in Sara's room. At Nyssa's, Quinn slept in her own room, but Sara couldn't remember a time when Quinn slept in her own room at Sara's apartment. 

Sara sat back on the couch and turned on the TV. She flipped through channels and ended up just watching the news because nothing good was on. It was sort of nice at first, they'd been running a story on the success of the animal shelter's monthly pet showing. The anchorman was about to say how much money had been raised that weekend, but it was interrupted by a breaking news story. At first, it didn't register in Sara's mind that the police were outside of Nyssa's house. She knew that she recognized the house, but it was seeing her ex-wife being carried away in handcuffs that pushed the realization to the forefront of Sara's mind. 

"Oh shit." 

* * *

Laurel marched through the police station. She was pissed, absolutely pissed. Not only had they arrested Nyssa and televised it, but they hadn't called her until about an hour after Nyssa went into their custody. Nobody stood in Laurel's way as she made her way back to the interrogation rooms. Once she got there though, she noticed that it wasn't Nyssa in interrogation, but Talia, who seemed to be patiently waiting for her. 

"Where is my client?" Laurel asked the police captain. Dinah Drake had been like Quentin's protégé and had quickly risen ranks after her father's untimely passing. "Where is Nyssa, Dinah?" 

"She's in a cell for the night," Dinah said calmly. "She's in a lot of trouble though." 

"What did she do?" Laurel asked, looking between the other two women in the room. 

"Obstruction of justice. She'd been withholding information that would have solved multiple cases," Dinah said, obviously a little ticked off at the fact. "Convenient that she supposedly acquires the information and shares it whenever her ass is put on the line." 

"I assure you that she did not have that before," Laurel said and Dinah threw her hands up. "Come on, you can't hold her." 

"Laurel, come with me please," Talia said, standing up. Laurel followed her out of the precinct and out to the parking lot. "She's been charged already. I'll stay here and keep an eye on her, but when she's out, I'm off to Gotham." 

"Do you know a way out of this?" Laurel asked and Talia tilted her head to the side. "Nyssa's mother is someone important right?" 

"She is, so let her handle this. Just make sure that you're there for her when she gets out. She is very lucky to have you," Talia told Laurel. 

"She's special," Laurel said and Talia nodded. Talia let Laurel go home and the lawyer felt sick the entire drive. She got home and went straight to her room, thinking of how unfair it was that she had accepted that she liked Nyssa and then Nyssa went and got herself arrested. Laurel supposed that she was lucky that Nyssa hadn't gotten something bigger pinned on herself yet, but the knowledge that Nyssa was locked in a cell distressed Laurel to almost no end.


	18. Chapter 18

It didn't surprise Sara that Quinn had gotten in a fight. It took less than a week for the news that Nyssa had been arrested to reach the young girl. Some little asshole had made a comment about it in class and at first, everybody had laughed at Quinn's confusion. That night, she'd come crying to Sara, asking if Nyssa was really going to die in prison. Sara told her that Nyssa had been arrested and was being sent away, but it was unlikely that Nyssa would die. The information hadn't necessarily relaxed Quinn much at all, so the child had been a bit of a ticking time bomb. Sara was impressed that she'd lasted into the first week of February, but hadn't expected quite the ordeal to arise. 

"Deviancy runs in the family it seems." Sara ignored the mother who was obviously judging her family and went straight back to Ava's office. Sara locked the door behind her, glad that Quinn was in the counselor's. Without a word, Ava pulled Sara into her arms and held her tightly. 

"What the hell am I going to do?" Sara asked and Ava didn't know what to say. "My ex and the primary caretaker of my child is in prison, Talia and Nyssa's mom told me to not do anything except for focus on Quinn, and Laurel's practically tearing her hair out having to do practically nothing. I get a pass if I'm not a super attentive girlfriend right?" 

"You're stressed, it's okay. Do you think that it would be good for Quinn if she stayed over with Felicity and Laurel for the night?" Ava asked and Sara shrugged. Sara didn't immediately understand what Ava was asking her, but once she saw the way that the other woman was looking at her, Sara got it. "I could come over, cook you dinner, and help you unwind a bit." 

"I'll make some calls," Sara said and Ava kissed Sara's cheek. "We have to talk about my daughter's rampage now, don't we?" 

"We do, I'm sorry," Ava apologized. Sara took a seat and Ava sighed. "Anger management, weekly talks with the counselor for the rest of the year, and she's suspended until next week." 

"Shit, okay," Sara said, glad it wasn't worse. "I guess I'll take her home now." 

"Good luck and I'll see you tonight." Ava gave Sara a kiss and then the next set of parents were called in. 

* * *

Ameena took a deep breath as she stared at the stacks of papers in front of her. There were three: one that took away Nyssa's shares, one that gave Ameena's to her niece and nephew, and one that would sign over the company securely to Nyssa. Running the company was what her daughter had been groomed to be, but Ameena was not certain that it was the life that Nyssa deserved. Business was, on both sides, in Nyssa's blood, but so were a lot of other things. However, signing over the shares to her daughter was the only way that Ameena could ensure that Nyssa would be released and the company could run without a corrupt hand controlling everything. 

"It isn't that difficult a decision." 

"The fact that you don't understand how big it is tells me everything that I need to know," Ameena said as she pushed the first two contracts away. She signed her shares and every bit of hold over the company she had over to Nyssa. "I hope you like Russia nephew." 

* * *

"And now I sit with the older daughter of Ra's al Ghul, Talia. Last month, your younger sister, Nyssa Raatko, was arrested and within 24 hours was sent to a maximum security prison for holding. Now, there are rumors that the entire case could be dropped. What do yo think of this?" 

"I think that you have no business asking or speaking about my family. I believe that Nyssa is innocent in all of this and she should not have to pay for the sins of our father. My son is a member of the al Ghul family as well, but nobody has asked him his thoughts. Is it that you do not believe he can grasp the concepts or that you have more respect for my child than you do me?" Talia asked. She remained stoic, not letting any emotion seep through. She had learned early on in America that if she remained seemingly unbothered, the gossip shut down quicker. "I am not here to talk about any of that mess. I am here to speak about the Wayne Animal Protection Grant for animal sanctuaries in America." 

"O-of course." Talia gave a small nod, glad that she intimidated this journalist. Not all of them were always so easy and Talia had on most occasions had to try a little harder before they decided to drop topics. The rest of the interview went off without a hitch, the direction Talia was looking for made very clear early on.

* * *

"Why do I have to go to Felicity's?" Quinn asked as Sara finished packing her daughter's overnight bag. 

"I think that you need it and so do I. Things are really hard right now and I'm sorry, but I do not know how to handle this situation," Sara said sadly. 

"Because Mama always does," Quinn finished for her mother. Sara nodded and Quinn took her mother's hand. "It's okay. I'm sorry I got in trouble today. I really do want to be a good kid, I swear." 

"I know that you do. You try so much harder than I ever did, but I think karma came around to bite me in the ass," Sara said, joking towards the end. "I knew how to be a good kid and I didn't. I got in fights a lot worse than you did, but you'll grow out of it, I didn't." 

Their chat was cut short when Laurel stopped to pick up Quinn and check in on Sara. Sara felt guilty when she saw her sister, who obviously hadn't been sleeping well. Sara could tell that Laurel hadn't relapsed yet though and that comforted the younger Lance sister. A quick goodbye from Laurel and then Sara texted Ava to know that it was okay if she came up to the apartment. Sara waited patiently for Ava and within a couple of minutes, there was knocking at the door. Sara checked the peephole and smiled when she saw Ava standing there. 

"I hid in the stairwell from your sister," Ava said and Sara laughed at that. "Is sneaking around par for the course?" 

"Yeah, actually. It doesn't have to be though," Sara told Ava. "Because I'm sure that once this Nyssa mess is over, Quinn would be in a good enough place to meet my girlfriend." 

"Girlfriend," Ava said and Sara nodded. "Sounds a little sappy for Sara Lance if I'm being honest." 

"It was one mom and she came onto me," Sara grumbled at Ava's joke. Sara gave Ava a tour of the apartment and then Ava went to cook Sara dinner. Sara sat on the counter and watched Ava cook. "You're really amazing, you know?" 

"Thank you. Now, are you talking about me or my ass because I can feel you staring?" Ava asked as she turned around. 

"Either way, it's a compliment," Sara reasoned. Ava continued cooking and Sara proved to be a very good distraction while the pasta boiled. During dinner, Sara made sure to pace herself with the wine. "This is really good. I've been eating microwave meals and fast food for the past month." 

"For someone with such an awful diet, you're very fit," Ava commented. It wasn't meant to be mean or anything, but it astounded Ava that Sara could have a body like what she did without the proper nutrients. 

"My mom says it's the Lance genes on both parts," Sara said with a small smile. "I think it's on her side too because she definitely used to just stay in her library for essentially days without leaving it. You're pretty lucky I'm not a nerd like that." 

"I'm sure that you're a nerd about something." Sara shook her head and Ava started naming things. The two of them sat in Sara's living room for hours just talking until Sara started to get tired. "Come on, you need sleep." 

"But sex," Sara whined. 

"I'll be here in the morning. We can see if sex does help with migraines," Ava suggested.

* * *

"I don't know how it happened, but you are one lucky bitch," the prison guard said as he handed over Nyssa's belongings. It was obvious that her clothes hadn't been washed and been stored near somebody in for presumably possession. Nyssa just gave a curt nod and changed from her prison uniform into civilian clothes. She didn't know who would be waiting for her on the other side, but she was glad to be out. 

"Mama," Nyssa said as she ran towards her mother. The release request had come in late that night, so they waited until morning to let Nyssa out. Nyssa hadn't necessarily been a stranger to sunlight, but it felt different on her body outside of the prison. 

"I'm here too," Talia said, pushing off the side of the car to stand up straight. Nyssa hugged her mother and extended a hand towards her sister. Talia took it and pulled her in for a hug. "Enough of that bullshit, I made the calls to get you out so promptly. So, did you get yourself a prison wife or were you true to Laurel?" 

"I'm not dignifying that with an answer," Nyssa said as she got into the car. "Just take me back to Quinn. I miss my little girl." 


	19. Chapter 19

Nyssa was glad to be back home. She could have done without Talia's pestering about prison wives and if she had a shiv or not, but at least it was being done over text from Gotham and not in person. Nyssa had yet to go back to the company, and she wasn't sure that she necessarily wanted to. Getting to spend her daughter's week of suspension with her was nice. Nyssa knew that she could have made a friend or ally in prison, but instead she had essentially isolated herself. Luckily, people seemed to get the idea that she wasn't someone who should have been messed with, so they primarily left her alone. 

"Are you sure that you don't want to come to dinner?" Sara asked as she jogged down the stairs. "Because Felicity invited you to it. You're one of the girls Nys." 

"Prison changed me, you can't handle me anymore," Nyssa joked and Sara fell back onto the couch next to Nyssa. Nyssa looked at her ex-wife and studied her for a moment. Sara looked relieved, in a way that she hadn't in a very long time and it had nothing to do with Nyssa getting out of prison. "You're seeing someone. Are they hot?" 

"You're nosy now," Sara said and Nyssa just hummed. "What was that noise about?" 

"Just figuring out who you're seeing, that's all," Nyssa answered. It was truthful and Sara hated that Nyssa could definitely just figure it out on her own. "I know them, in some capacity and that's why you're trying to evade. Quinn knows them too and since there's no scruff burn on your neck, I'm gonna presume it's a girl. She's good for you, whoever she is." 

"If I tell you who it is, will you stop talking?" Sara asked and Nyssa nodded. "It's Ava Sharpe, like the assistant principal." 

"Why is our kid suspended then? You obviously are out of practice," Nyssa teased. Sara swatted at Nyssa's arm repeatedly and Nyssa just laughed. They probably could have gone on like that for a while, but then they were interrupted. Felicity and Laurel came to get Sara and Quinn, even though Laurel didn't come to the door. 

"Nyssa didn't want to come?" Laurel asked and Sara shook her head. "Is she doing okay?" 

"Go see for yourself. Prison changed her Laurel," Sara said, using the same falsely seriously tone Nyssa used earlier. Laurel didn't know that was a joke and that had put her a bit on edge during the dinner. "Where are we eating?" 

"Where we always go on Galentine's," Laurel said. 

"I haven't gone on your stupid holiday. Normally I do fun things around this time," Sara said and Felicity nodded. 

"It's fancy and we get free drinks," Felicity said and Sara smirked. The restaurant was nicer than Sara had initially thought and she wondered why she hadn't made up with her sister sooner. Mia and Quinn excitedly showed Sara to the booth where they always sat and Sara was surprised to find Thea waiting there already. Felicity slid in next to Felicity and Laurel sat on the end. It was obvious throughout the meal that something, even if it was tiny, was going on between Thea and Felicity. After dinner, Laurel dropped Sara and Quinn off at Sara's apartment before going to her own house while Thea took Felicity home for the night. 

* * *

Sara was freaking out a little bit. Ava had been a great girlfriend and this was their first Valentine's Day together. Sara needed to pull as many of the stops as she could. So, she made sure to wear her nicest lingerie under her dress and she was certain that she wasn't late going over to Ava's. The drive wasn't a long one and after a pep talk in the parking lot, Sara was running up to Ava's apartment. 

"You look hot," Ava said, not sure what to really say to Sara. 

"You should see what's under the dress," Sara teased. Ava had already ordered in and had everything set up. There was a fake fire and romantic music playing on the TV, setting a really nice mood. "Which judging by this, you're gonna." 

"It's not too much is it?" Ava asked, noticing how Sara seemed to be constantly looking around at everything. 

"It is just more than what I let myself think anybody should do for me," Sara told her. 

"Well, you deserve this and more," Ava promised Sara. "And I'll give you what I can." 

"This is really sappy," Sara said and Ava laughed at that. 

"It is." Ava kissed her and Sara kissed back. The dinner by the "fire" was nice and the niceness of the night continued as Sara and Ava downed a bottle of fancy wine Ava had bought and chilled that morning. Things progressed naturally and easily for the two of them. Ava had set the night up for Sara, so Sara made sure that Ava's night ended with a grand finale. The night was young and Sara was intent on using every minute to show Ava how strongly Sara was already feeling for her. "That was great." 

"Just great?" Sara asked, rolling onto her stomach. "Because I can feel your thighs shaking a little bit." 

"Okay fine, it was mind blowing," Ava admitted and Sara smirked. "You should come here and kiss me." 

"I guess I can do that." Sara scooted up the bed a bit and kissed Ava. Ava kissed her back and when the kiss broke, Sara rested her forehead against Ava's. "Do you think that maybe we should tell Quinn soon?" 

"Whenever you think it's the right time," Ava said and Sara sighed. "It's only been around a week since Nyssa came back." 

"I know that, but Quinn's in a good place and Nyssa already knows about us. I want to tell people, I like you more than enough for us to be at that place." 

"Whenever you're ready to tell her, let me know," Ava requested and Sara nodded. 

* * *

"Is that comfortable?" Laurel asked as she sat down next to Nyssa in the driveway. Nyssa didn't answer her, but she did look up at the lawyer. "I heard prison changed you." 

"Sara or Quinn?" Nyssa asked and Laurel raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I've been joking and one of them doesn't understand that." 

"I don't think it was a joke, not completely. You were probably scared and that's not a state that you're used to being in," Laurel said and Nyssa sniffled. Laurel shivered and Nyssa wrapped her arm around Laurel's shoulders, holding her close. "I'm really glad you got out quickly." 

"I got stabbed on my second day there. It wasn't anywhere that would have killed me, but I was terrified that the next time would do the trick," Nyssa told Laurel. "I was terrified about leaving Quinn. I knew Sara would be sad, but she would pull through. I was scared for you though, I didn't know if you'd make it out okay if I'd died." 

"Me?" Laurel asked, a little nervous. "Why me?" 

"Because of how I feel about you. Even if you don't feel how I do, we're close," Nyssa said and Laurel rested her head on Nyssa's shoulder. "I need to show you something inside. It's a Valentine's Day card." 

"Are you trying to romance me?" Laurel asked teasingly. 

"That comes after I give you the card. Lance women, always trying to get straight to the good stuff," Nyssa joked. The two of them went inside and Nyssa gave Laurel the card that Mia had asked her to before. Laurel thought it was sweet, much sweeter than what most of her boyfriends had ever given her. Sure, it wasn't just from Nyssa, but the message the dark haired woman had written was heartfelt. 

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were in love with me or something," Laurel said with a nervous chuckle. "But that's crazy because you shouldn't be in love with someone like me." 

"Yes I should," Nyssa argued. "It feels right to me. It feels more than right." 

"I don't understand what it feels like though," Laurel said and Nyssa tilted her head to the side as she stared at Laurel. "So I can't confidently say that it feels right." 

Nyssa leaned in and slowly kissed Laurel. Laurel kissed her back and things progressed quickly from there. The two of them went from just kissing to touching each other. They wouldn't make it upstairs, but Laurel was fine with being pinned against the couch. Nyssa didn't do anything without the hesitation to make sure that it was okay. Nothing that Nyssa wasn't sure that Laurel was liking happened. Laurel couldn't remember the last time she'd gone out with someone if she was being honest, but she was certain that whoever it'd been hadn't treated her nearly as nicely as Nyssa was. They hadn't made Laurel's body twist and yearn for more like Nyssa was, nor had they satisfied her like Nyssa had.


	20. Chapter 20

Laurel woke up to an empty bed. Not only was the bed empty, but the side Nyssa had been on the night before was neatly made. Laurel was surprised that Nyssa had managed to get out of bed, make it, and leave the room without Laurel noticing that she'd even gotten up in the first place. Laurel looked around to find some clothes and a towel on the dresser. Next to it was a note telling Laurel to shower and then come downstairs for breakfast. Laurel had stayed the night at Nyssa's before, but she'd never seen Nyssa's bathroom before. It was definitely the nicest one in the house and Laurel had never come out of a shower so refreshed before. 

"Quinn and Mia will be here within the hour. There are things that we need to discuss, but it can wait if you would like," Nyssa said. There was no polite greeting or bashfulness, which Laurel sort of appreciated. Nyssa wasn't necessarily a cold person, but she had a tendency to display herself that way with small social interactions. 

"Good morning Nyssa," Laurel said with a small smile. Nyssa slid a cup of coffee towards Laurel and then turned back towards her own cup. "We can talk whenever." 

"I had a good time with you. We are both adults, I believe that I harbor feelings towards you, and I can be responsible if we decide to go forward," Nyssa said. Laurel set her cup down and leaned over the counter to kiss Nyssa. Nyssa froze for a moment, but then kissed Laurel back. "So, um a proper date?" 

"From what I hear, you're quite the romantic. You can pick," Laurel said and Nyssa nodded. 

* * *

Sara laid in Ava's arms, letting the taller woman run fingers through her hair. In Sara's head, she'd planned a morning of sex for her and Ava, but then the realization of what she actually had planned for the day set in. Sara hadn't even noticed she was panicking until Ava had pulled her back into bed and held her. Sara was grateful for Ava being so quick to realize what Sara was going through, but more grateful that Ava knew what to do. Sara was quick to emotional changes in people, but she wasn't good at the comforting part. 

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Ava asked and Sara glanced over at the clock. 

"If we can find something to do for 20 minutes, we'll miss the breakfast rush," Sara said and Ava liked the sound of that. "Now, you did something for me already. How about I do a little something for you?" 

"What did you have in mind?" Ava asked, sitting up a bit. Sara trailed her hand up Ava's thigh and leaned in to press a kiss to Ava's bare shoulder. "If it doesn't include moving your hand up a bit, I'm not interested." 

"My hand will go up and my mouth will go down," Sara promised. Ava nodded after trying to tell Sara that she wanted to keep going, but only managing to make a strangled little noise. Sara kissed Ava's cheek and then jumped down in between Ava's legs on the bed. At first, Sara's fingers teased Ava's entrance while Sara marked up Ava's thighs. Then, Sara moved her mouth in between Ava's legs and her fingers finally went in. Ava let out a soft sigh that turned into a series of moans and little gasps. Sara worked quickly, not wanting to miss breakfast as a whole, but not so fast that it wasn't enjoyable. 

"Sara!" Ava called out as her back arched and her body stiffened. Sara kept her tongue going as her fingers made shallow thrusts inside of Ava. When Ava's back hit the mattress, Sara sat back and pushed all of the blankets off of her bed. "What are you doing?" 

"Laundry, I'm not the only one who sleeps in here," Sara said and Ava nodded. "You know, my landlord is a dick with the water bill, so why don't we shower together?" 

"If we miss breakfast, I'm not cooking for you," Ava told Sara as they both made their way to the bathroom. 

* * *

The girls had been pleasantly surprised to see Laurel when they arrived at Nyssa's. Mia had given Nyssa a couple of weird looks that made Nyssa wonder what was going through the child's head. Quinn seemed distracted by something else, but it wasn't an unhappy distraction, so Nyssa let her be. Mia and Quinn stayed up in Quinn's room for most of the day playing, leaving Laurel and Nyssa downstairs by themselves. 

"Do you think there might be a boy or something?" Nyssa asked and Laurel looked up from the TV show she's been watching. 

"Hmm?" 

"Do you think that there is a boy at school that Quinn likes?" Nyssa asked and Laurel shrugged. "Should I ask her?" 

"No, leave her be," Laurel said, putting her legs over Nyssa to block her in. "Just relax and watch this with me." 

"I've already seen this," Nyssa said and Laurel scoffed. "Sara made me watch it after our honeymoon incident. Then she got mad at me because I didn't find it funny." 

"You don't like Friends?" Laurel asked in complete shock. Nyssa shrugged and Laurel moved away from her. "I don't know if we can go out now." 

"Shame because I'm great at planning first dates," Nyssa said and Laurel sighed. She knew that Nyssa was good because Sara had told Laurel about that first date and the next twenty. For a bit, Laurel thought Sara was making shit up because Oliver had moved on with a new girl, but then Laurel met Nyssa. "And we've already gotten past that awkward first time business." 

"If that was you being awkward about it, I don't think I'm gonna be able to compare," Laurel said and Nyssa leaned over and tucked a piece of hair behind Laurel's ear. 

"Don't worry, it doesn't take long to figure out what your partner likes. And if helps, I tend to be very vocal," Nyssa said with a wink.

* * *

"Don't you have to pick your daughter up at 2?" Ava asked as she looked at her watch. 

"Nyssa said 2, which for me means before 4," Sara said and Ava gave her a look. "We'll shoot for 3." 

"We'll shoot for I'll finish your laundry and you go get your kid because it's 1:45," Ava said and Sara smiled at Ava. "Seriously, you need to work on not being so late all the time." 

"You have to help me though," Sara said and Ava nodded. Sara ran off to get Quinn from Nyssa's and was surprised to see that Laurel was there. "Hey Laur, what are you doing here?" 

"I had the day off," Laurel said and Sara sat down on the coffee table in front of Nyssa and Laurel. Sara didn't bother looking at Laurel, instead staring directly at Nyssa until she started to crack. 

"What's Laurel doing here?" Sara asked, getting a bit closer to Nyssa. 

"She came over to check on me, we slept together, and she stayed," Nyssa blurted out without taking a breath. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth as she gave an apologetic look over to Laurel. 

"Use protection, don't overspend too much with Laurel, don't forget to let Nyssa eat processed food sometimes, and I'm really happy for the two of you. You have to tell mom when things get serious Laurel because she'll be so happy for you," Sara said as she stood up. "Now, I have to go get my child and introduce her to my girlfriend." 

"I think Quinn's in a good mood," Nyssa told Sara. 

"Oh yeah, there's this kid across the hall and he told her that he got her a Valentine's Day gift," Sara said and Nyssa turned to look at Laurel. "He's a good kid, I've met the parents. Oh, and he's too old for her, so really no worries." 

Sara went upstairs to get Quinn and take her room. Quinn was in her own little world on the drive home and when they pulled up to the building, she snapped out of it. Sara held her hand tightly as they ran/jogged through the parking lot. Despite being a little kid, Quinn was a pretty fast runner. Sara was fast as well, but Sara knew that Quinn's speed came from Nyssa because of how she ran. If Quinn wasn't sprinting, she ran awkwardly, just like Nyssa did. 

"Can I go by myself to see Hunter?" Quinn asked and Sara nodded. Sara stayed at her front door as she watched Quinn go across the hallway. Sara could still see them and when Quinn came back holding a flower and a heart lollipop, she smiled. "Why isn't the door open?" 

"Because I need to talk to you before I open this door. There's somebody inside, you already have met them, but I want you to know that it's my new girlfriend," Sara said and Quinn nodded. Sara expected a little pause or maybe a question, but Quinn just pushed the door open, set her things down, and walked over to where Ava was in the dining room. 

"Hi, if you hurt my mom my other one will kill you with her swords," Quinn said before going to the couch. Sara just sort of nodded and walked over to the couch. She sat down in the middle next to Quinn. "Is she gonna come and sit with us or not?" 

"Ava, babe!" Sara yelled and Ava quickly walked over to them. 

"Was she serious?" Ava asked and Sara nodded. 

"Yes, Nyssa had a lot of swords and is trained to use all of them. She taught me how to throw knives, it's pretty cool," Sara said, leaning her head on Ava's shoulder. 


End file.
